Gaza children run to demand refugees’ right to return

Scores of Palestinian children took part in a marathon in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday as part of rallies to demand the return of refugees to their towns and villages in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.

"We are organizing this race to raise awareness among children about the right of refugees to return," Maryam Zaqout, the director of the Culture and Free Thought Association, an NGO which organized the race, told Anadolu Agency.

"Our main goal is to revive the Palestinian issue in the memory of children," she said.

Participants raised banners affirming the right of Palestinian refugees to their hometowns in historical Palestine.

"I will return" read one of the banners waved by participants in the race, which was held in the southern city of Khan Younis.

"We are participating in this race to emphasize our right to return to our lands," 16-year-old Malik Baraka told Anadolu Agency.

"This is a peaceful way to introduce our fundamental rights to the world, the most important of which is the right of return," he said.

Since March 30, Palestinians have been converging on the Gaza Strip's eastern border with Israel as part of activities to demand the return of refugees to their towns in historical Palestine.

At least 31 Palestinians have been martyred and hundreds injured by Israeli gunfire since the rallies began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The rallies are part of a six-week-long demonstration that will culminate on May 15. That day will mark the 70th anniversary of Israel's establishment -- an event Palestinians refer to as the "Nakba" or "Catastrophe".