The 10th Palestine International Marathon began on Friday in the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, with a parallel race held in the Gaza Strip, after being suspended by Israel's war on the Strip.
Thousands of Palestinian and international runners took part in the event which was held to send a message of unity, strength, and determination in face of the current situation.
"I am a volleyball player, and I took part in this marathon. No athlete should miss this event because it delivers a message of determination and resilience from the people, that despite all the circumstances, they continue practicing sports and expressing their freedom steadfastly," said Abdullah al-Arqan, a runner.
"The Palestine Sports Marathon is an annual event, but because of the war on Gaza, we have been separated from it for three years. The launch from Gaza simultaneously with the launch from Bethlehem unites the two parts of the homeland and sends a message to the world that Palestinians have the right to live in freedom and dignity," said Donia Ismail from the Palestinian Ministry of Women's Affairs.
Runner Khalil al-Tarabin said that despite the misfortune he has suffered, he competed with full determination.
"Today, winning means everything to me. Despite the blockade, the famine, and losing my father and four brothers in the war, I participated with all my strength," he said.
The marathon was organized by the Palestinian Olympic Committee in partnership with the Egyptian Committee for Gaza Relief and other local partners.
Organizers said more than 13,000 runners took part across all events, including 2,523 participants in Gaza and around 1,000 international runners from 75 countries and regions.
Palestine Marathon returns to Bethlehem after Gaza war suspension
Palestine Marathon returns to Bethlehem after Gaza war suspension
Palestine Marathon returns to Bethlehem after Gaza war suspension
Embodied artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a major highlight at the ongoing 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), with humanoid robots and related technologies showcasing advances across the industry's full industrial chain -- from whole-machine motion and underlying control systems to data collection and training.
More than 130 companies and institutions are exhibiting in the telecommunications, computer and information services exhibition hall at this year's CIFTIS, where the full industrial chain of embodied AI is on display.
Humanoid robots are among the key attractions, demonstrating technologies covering whole-machine movement, underlying control and data collection.
One humanoid robot on display is equipped with a domestically-developed electronic architecture platform for robots. The architecture is designed to meet functional and safety requirements across a range of applications, including daily life, industrial production and healthcare.
"With the enhanced security functions of the electronic architecture, we can effectively prevent cyberattacks or damage caused by viruses, ensuring that our robots can carry out their designated tasks in a secure state," said Li Ping, a representative of an exhibiting company.
Difficulties and high costs in collecting and calibrating data have long been the challenges hindering the development of the embodied AI industry.
An exhibitor specializing in data services for embodied robots has developed a simulation training system that can highly replicate real-world physical environments.
The system allows robots to undergo repeated training and trial-and-error in virtual settings, significantly reducing training costs for embodied intelligence companies.
The company has so far made more than 100,000 hours of human behavior datasets freely available worldwide, covering 15,000 different scenarios.
"We hope this can help small and medium enterprises in China's embodied AI industry, as well as research institutions, conduct training more quickly and lower the barriers to accessing data. Meanwhile, we are also promoting the standardization of data products and hope to process the data to a high-quality standardized level, so that the same dataset can be reused by multiple teams," said Dong Xiaochao, a representative of the exhibiting company.
The five-day CIFTIS opened on Wednesday, drawing participants from 90 countries, regions and international organizations, with over 1,800 companies showcasing their service products on-site.
Humanoid robots showcase advances in embodied AI at CIFTIS
