Thousands Participate in 14th Annual Druze Memorial Race in Lower Galilee
Around 20,000 participants joined the 14th annual Druze memorial race in the Lower Galilee, honoring fallen soldiers and security forces amidst a major 220-kilometer trail project.
Around 20,000 participants gathered Friday morning for the 14th annual "Path of the Druze Sons" race, held in the area of Horns of Hittim near the Golani Junction in the Lower Galilee. The traditional event honors fallen soldiers of the Druze community who died in Israel's wars, and this year it was also dedicated to IDF fighters, reservists, and security forces.
The opening leg was flagged off by Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo and the project's founder, Brig. Gen. (res.) Amal Assad. The event features five and ten-kilometer running routes, a 25-kilometer cycling course, and a three-kilometer popular walking path.
Commemorating the Fallen
Citizens from across the country, students, teenagers, bereaved families, military personnel, and representatives of the police, Magen David Adom, and fire services took part in the race. The gathering was also attended by the spiritual leader of the Druze community, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai, former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, Druze local council heads, and senior officers.
The race is being held just months ahead of the completion of the "Path of the Sons" trail—a commemoration project established in cooperation with KKL-JNF and the "Path of the Druze Sons" association. The 220-kilometer trail will connect Druze villages in the Carmel and the Galilee, stretching from Daliat al-Carmel and Usfiya to the Nabi Shu'ayb shrine.
"The alliance between the Druze and the Jews is not written on paper—it is written in the blood of 451 fallen soldiers and in the lives of thousands of fighters who continue to defend the State of Israel today," said Brig. Gen. (res.) Amal Assad.
