Beit Hanun Thousands of runners braved temperatures hovering just above zero degrees Celsius Thursday to take part in the Gaza Strip's second marathon.
Participants were whipped by strong winds carrying sand from the beaches of the Palestinian territory as they took part in races along the length of the Strip, with around 200 taking part in the full marathon.
Palestinian Nader Al Masri, who won last year's race, was first across the finish line in the southern town of Rafah, clocking in at three hours and ten minutes.
Masri, an Olympic athlete, said he was proud of his time, despite coming in a slower than the two hours and and 42 minutes he managed last year.
"I'm very happy," he told AFP at the end of the race. "I thought I would be able to do it in two hours and 20 minutes, but the weather conditions were very tough."
"I think that we have sent a message that we hope will reach the world. It's a step towards making the world aware of the tragedy of the Palestinian people."
Coming in just half a minute behind Masri was another Palestinian athlete Mahmoud Yousuf, 33.
"I'm so happy, there were so many problems with the rain and wind," he said. "I hope that one day Palestinian athletes like us will be able to compete in races like this around the world without obstacles."
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, which organises the event, said around 2,700 people were participating in the race, most of them children running one kilometre sections of the 42-kilometre event.
The event kicked off shortly after 7.00am (0500 GMT), when some 200 people lined up at the race's starting point in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanun, not far from the territory's border with Israel.
Those running shorter lengths are joining the race at intervals along the way, with participants running half marathons, as well as 10-kilometre and two-kilometre races.
