The tenth Palestine International Marathon has been run in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, with a parallel race held in Gaza after a two-year hiatus caused by Israel’s war on the Strip.

The 42km race began at 6am local time (03:00 GMT) on Friday, with thousands of Palestinian and international runners gathering at the traditional starting point, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

Marathon coordinator Itidal Abdul Ghani said this year’s race carries a message of “the unity of the homeland,” with runners on both sides of the Israeli separation regime taking part in simultaneous events. A separate 5km race was organised in central Gaza, running from Wadi Gaza Bridge northwards.

Organisers also staged a virtual marathon in several countries between 17 and 21 April, attracting more than 5,000 participants from 88 countries. Overall, the number of runners exceeded 13,000, including 2,523 in Gaza and about 1,000 foreign participants from 75 countries.

The event featured multiple categories, including the full marathon, a 21km half marathon, a 10km race and a 5km family run, allowing participation by professional athletes, amateurs and families. It is organised by the Palestinian Higher Council for Youth and Sports, the Palestinian Olympic Committee and Bethlehem Municipality.

This year’s race was against the backdrop of continued Israeli attacks on Gaza despite a “ceasefire,” and a surge in violence across the occupied West Bank since October 2023. Palestinian officials say at least 1,155 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 11,750 wounded in the West Bank since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, along with 22,000 arrests. In Gaza, at least 72,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 172,000 injured, according to local authorities.

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Running through Bethlehem’s streets and along routes hemmed in by checkpoints and the separation wall, many participants carried Palestinian flags or wore keffiyehs, framing the marathon as both a sporting event and an act of peaceful resistance and solidarity with Gaza.