Bay Area Gaza 5K Makes History with Record-Breaking Turnout and Over Half a Million Dollars Raised For Children in Gaza
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT
Zeina Hijazi, zeina@unrwausa.org
(202) 909-7701
UNRWA USA’s Gaza 5K brings communities across the U.S. together in solidarity to fund mental health counseling and trauma support for Palestine refugee children and their families in Gaza.
SAN FRANCISCO –– Earlier this month, more than 2,000 participants gathered at Lake Merced Park for UNRWA USA’s Gaza 5K, raising over $500,000 to support mental health counselors providing critical care to children in the Gaza Strip. The event also functioned as a cultural gathering, featuring a live performance by Palestinian hip-hop artist MC Abdul, who first gained prominence at age 11 for rapping about youth and resilience in Gaza. Bay Area-based DJ Ahmed, an Iraq-born artist known for blending traditional Arabic rhythms with global music, provided the day's soundtrack.
The Gaza 5K is a signature walk/run event hosted by UNRWA USA, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that fundraises for the humanitarian programs implemented by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Proceeds from the event directly fund UNRWA’s Community Mental Health Programme, employing local mental health counselors who provide critical psychological first aid, trauma-informed counseling, and coping strategies to children experiencing severe psychological distress, loss, and displacement.
The funding arrives at a catastrophic moment for Gaza’s children, who are bearing the most devastating toll of relentless bombardment. An entire generation of children is being systematically traumatized, facing severe malnutrition, untreated physical injuries, and the profound grief of losing their families and homes. With families forcibly displaced multiple times into decaying, unsanitary tent cities, these funds are an urgent lifeline to address the dire psychological trauma of children who have known nothing but terror, loss, and the daily struggle to survive.
Despite extraordinary operational hurdles and continuous bombardment, UNRWA remains the backbone of the humanitarian response on the ground, serving as the primary provider of healthcare, clean water, and emergency aid, while recently launching its hybrid learning program for the 2026/2027 school year. The remarkable turnout at Lake Merced reflects growing American solidarity and a commitment to sustaining this humanitarian Agency.
“We cannot turn away from what’s happening in Gaza. The increasingly public conversations around the safety, dignity, and future of Palestine refugees make clear that this is not a conversation that can be swept under the rug,” said Mara Kronenfeld, CEO of UNRWA USA. “The tremendous turnout for this race shows that we must continue directing attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and stand with the children and families who are enduring it. The more than 10,500 UNRWA care providers leading this work are Palestinians serving their own communities while also facing constant bombardment, displacement, and grief. Yet they continue to show up, against all odds, to keep hope alive for the next generation. San Francisco showed us their support. Now, we want to keep the momentum going.”
UNRWA USA will host its next Gaza 5K in New York City at Prospect Park on Sunday, October 11.
To register, donate, or learn more about how to support Palestine refugees, visit unrwausa.org.
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UNRWA USA National Committee (UNRWA USA) is an independent nonprofit organization that provides support for the humanitarian work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). UNRWA USA lifts up the voices, experiences, and humanity of Palestine refugees to secure American support for resources essential to every human being, for the promise of a better life. U.S. taxpayers are eligible for tax deductions for donations made through UNRWA USA.
