I am running my first ever Marathon in the beautiful city of Rome, raising money for Medical Aid for Palestinians. I have been running for years, completing my first half marathon in Victoria Park last December; it has done and continues to do wonders for my mental and physical health as well as becoming a real source of unity and friendship.

This test of endurance doesn’t even amount to what the strong-willed people of Palestine have had to endure, with mass bombardments of violence and destruction by the Israeli government, alongside with mass famine and displacement.

I am running this marathon in solidarity and support with all the innocent civilians in Gaza who continue to endure the effects of this genocide and their entire livelihoods being destroyed, as well as the tens of thousands of lives that have been lost. The complicity, inaction and disdain of the Western World, including the UK, towards the people in Gaza is a real source of distress.

The status of a “ceasefire” within Gaza only heightens the importance of donating, as now aid programmes can be adapted, scaled up and innocent civilians within Gaza can receive the urgent medical care they need, on top of bare necessities such as food and shelter during these winter months.

Please consider donating to an important cause supporting the lives of people in crucial need of aid, as well as a milestone in my own life. Thank you!

About the Charity: Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) works for the health and dignity of Palestinians living under occupation and as refugees. We provide immediate medical aid to those in great need, while also developing local capacity and skills to ensure the long-term development of the Palestinian healthcare system.