Between refugee camps and Israeli checkpoints, the Palestine Marathon returns

Yesterday, after 3 years of stop due to Israel's war in Gaza, the Palestine Marathon was run. The event is open to people from other parts of the world running in solidarity with the Palestinians. Another, shorter race was held at the same time in the Gaza Strip.

Corridori palestinesi partecipano alla Maratona della Palestina di 5 chilometri lungo la strada costiera nei pressi di Nuseirat, nella Striscia di Gaza centrale, venerdì 8 maggio 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Associated Press / LaPresse Solo Italia e Spagna

The programme included a full marathon, a half marathon, and a 10-kilometre race in Bethlehem - in the West Bank - and a 5-kilometre race in Gaza. According to the organisers, 13,000 people participated in the event, including 2,500 in Gaza, and 1,000 foreigners from 75 different countries. A hopeful sign compared to the fragile ceasefire in place in the Strip.

In the West Bank, runners could not complete the 42.2 kilometre course without running into an Israeli blockade post, which is why the marathon route was readjusted: a loop circuit, to be run twice. After passing through two Palestinian refugee camps and an agricultural town near Bethlehem - where the camps are divided by a concrete wall, barbed wire and cameras - the route made a U-turn to finish in Mangery Square in Bethlehem.

The race - the organisers point out - highlights the restrictions faced by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where checkpoints can interrupt even normal daily movements and where land open for hiking, cycling or running is increasingly occupied by Israeli settlements and outposts. Crowds gathered near the Church of the Nativity to cheer on the runners at the start and finish of the race in the early hours of the morning. Bagpipes played loudly and drummers beat traditional rhythms along the route.

Corridori palestinesi con protesi si schierano alla partenza della Maratona della Palestina di 2 chilometri lungo la strada costiera vicino a Nuseirat, nella Striscia di Gaza centrale, venerdì 8 maggio 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Associated Press / LaPresse Solo Italia e Spagna

On a road along the beach in Nuseirat, meanwhile - in the heart of the Gaza Strip - 15 people with disabilities, including some amputees, ran a 2 km. Another two thousand people ran a 5 km.