The 10th edition of the Palestine International Marathon kicked off today in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, parallel to a race in the Gaza Strip, after a two-year hiatus due to the Israeli war in Gaza.
The 42.195-kilometer full marathon began at 06:00 local time. Thousands of Palestinian and international runners gathered near the Church of the Nativity in central Bethlehem, the starting point of the race.
Marathon coordinator Itidal Abdul Ghani told Anadolu that this year's edition calls for "unity of the homeland." She said a separate 5-kilometer marathon was also held in central Gaza, starting from the Wadi Gaza bridge and heading north.
Organizers also held a virtual marathon in several locations from April 17 to 21, with more than 5,000 participants from 88 countries. According to Ghani, the number of participants exceeded 13,000, including 2,523 runners in Gaza and about 1,000 foreign participants from 75 countries.
The marathon includes races of 42.195 kilometers, 21 kilometers and 10 kilometers, as well as a 5-kilometer family race. The event is organized by the Palestinian Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, the Palestinian Olympic Committee and the Bethlehem Municipality.
The return of the marathon this year comes at a time of continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire in Gaza and the escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank since October 2023. According to Palestinian data, at least 1,155 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 11,750 injured in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, while around 22,000 arrests have been made.
In Gaza, more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 172,000 injured during the Israeli genocide, according to Palestinian authorities.
