BETHLEHEM — Mohamad Al-Assi, a 27-year-old Palestinian runner released from Israeli detention six months earlier, finished second overall at the tenth Palestine International Marathon in Bethlehem on May 8, 2026. After crossing the line, Al-Assi collapsed to his knees, bowed, and thanked God before dedicating his run to Palestinians still held in Israeli prisons.

Al-Assi was arrested in April 2023 and imprisoned under administrative detention, a measure that allows detainees to be held for months without charge. In October 2023, he was sentenced for transferring money to suspicious entities, a charge he denies. Israel monitors money transfers, particularly to Gaza, over concerns funds could reach militants. Between 3,000 and 4,000 Palestinians are held under administrative detention, according to Israeli rights groups and the Palestinian Prisoners Society.

After finishing, Al-Assi shouted through tears: "After 32 months in prison, Mohamad Al-Assi is first in his class!"

Al-Assi said that in Israeli prisons nearly everyone goes hungry due to inadequate diets. "I have more muscle mass than fat, so when I lost weight, the loss came from my muscles rather than fat. This had a major impact on my physical fitness," he said.

After his release, Al-Assi resumed training from his home in Dheisheh refugee camp, a Palestinian camp of graffiti-covered cinderblock homes and tangled alleyways. According to his tracking app Strava, he ran 62 miles (100 kilometers) in his first month and 135 miles (217 kilometers) in April 2026. He suspended his training several times because of military operations in the camp. "The main difficulties we face are the cars on the roads and the presence of Israeli security forces along the route where I train," Al-Assi said. "I would return home feeling hopeless because I couldn't do what I had intended to do."

The full marathon began at 6 a.m. local time, with thousands of Palestinian and international runners gathering at the Church of the Nativity. Because runners in the West Bank cannot complete a 26.2-mile course without encountering a checkpoint or military gate, the route looped around the same circuit twice, passing through two refugee camps and a farming town next to Bethlehem where fields are divided by the concrete wall, barbed wire and cameras. Many participants carried Palestinian flags or wore keffiyehs, while bagpipes and drummers performed along the route.

The tenth edition was held after a two-year hiatus tied to the war in Gaza. Overall participation in the marathon events exceeded 13,000 runners, including 2,523 in Gaza and about 1,000 foreign participants from 75 countries. The event was organized by the Palestinian Higher Council for Youth and Sports, the Palestinian Olympic Committee, and Bethlehem Municipality. Marathon coordinator Itidal Abdul Ghani said the race carries a message of "the unity of the homeland."