Runners honor hostages at London Marathon

Fifty-nine runners dedicated their London Marathon medals on Sunday to the remaining 59 hostages held by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

“Each participant ran the grueling 26.2-mile course wearing a yellow hat bearing the name of their dedicated hostage, carrying a photograph of the individual, and displaying the iconic yellow ribbon that has become the international symbol of the campaign to bring the hostages home,” the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.

The action “created a visible stream of hope through London’s streets, catching the attention of thousands of spectators and reminding the world to not give up the fight for the hostages as they remain in Hamas captivity,” added the forum.

Two demonstrators disrupted the marathon by throwing red powder across Tower Bridge and calling for a trade embargo against Israel.

The protest, organized by activist group Youth Demand, took place around 10:35 a.m. during the elite men’s race, the London Standard newspaper reported. Two individuals crossed the barriers and threw the substance onto the roadway before the City of London Police swiftly detained them.

Youth Demand identified the activists as Willow Holland, 18, from Bristol, and Cristy North, a live-in carer from Nottingham. Both wore T-shirts emblazoned with the message: “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel.”

In a statement shared by the group, Holland said she joined the protest out of frustration as traditional demonstrations had failed to stop British support for Israel. “Thousands are being killed in Gaza, our government is doing nothing, and I refuse to be complicit in a genocide funded by our politicians,” she said.

North stated, “Palestinians are running out of time. Our government is still arming Israel despite widespread public outcry, making us complicit in breaching both U.K. domestic and international humanitarian law.”

The group cited a recent United Nations World Food Programme report, which said that food supplies in Gaza had been fully depleted as a result of Israel’s blockade. However, this fails to address Hamas’s practice of stealing and hoarding the hundreds of thousands of tons of aid that Israel allowed into the Strip, as well as social media posts emerging from Gaza, which show bountiful amounts of foodstuffs.

Despite the disruption, there appeared to be no impact on the race. The BBC’s coverage cut to the men’s elite race moments after the leaders had crossed Tower Bridge, and the event continued without further incident.

More than 56,000 runners are participating in this year’s 26.2-mile race, the 45th edition of the TCS London Marathon.