Palestine marathon kicks off after 2-year pause due to Gaza war

The 10th edition of the Palestine International Marathon kicked off Friday in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, alongside a parallel race in the Gaza Strip, after a two-year hiatus due to Israel’s war on Gaza, Anadolu Agency reports. The full 42.195-kilometer marathon began at 6 am local time (0300GMT). Thousands of Palestinian and international runners gathered outside the Church of the Nativity in central Bethlehem, the starting point for the race. Marathon coordinator Itidal Abdul Ghani told Anadolu that this year’s edition calls for “the unity of the homeland.” A separate 5-kilometer marathon was also held in central Gaza from Wadi Gaza Bridge northward, she said. The organizers also held a virtual marathon in several countries between April 17 […]