Among those attending was the US ambassador to Poland, Tom Rose, who told reporters that the former camp, once a place of "utter Jewish helplessness" and despair, now serves as a source of strength, pride and hope.
In a message posted on X from the Auschwitz memorial site, Rose said that 85 years ago Jews "had no power, no voice and no friends able and willing" to stand with them. Today, he said, they have their own state capable of defending itself, giving them both power and a voice.
He added that the lesson of the Holocaust is that the Jewish people must never again be without the means to defend themselves.
"What this place, Auschwitz, symbolizes more than any other on Earth is that right without might assures the success and triumph of evil," he said.
A small group of Muslims from Arab countries also joined the march to show their support for peaceful relations with Israel, Poland's PAP news agency reported.
Participants included Polish school students, among them a teenager from the eastern city of Lublin who said he came to pay tribute to victims, including people his own age and younger.
His history teacher said the site leaves a profound impression on students, encouraging reflection on the atrocities committed there.
Along the route, a group of Poles from the southern town of Ustroń greeted participants, expressing solidarity with Israel and respect for those who died in the Holocaust, according to the report.
The ceremony concluded with Israel’s national anthem. Participants—many wearing blue jackets with a Star of David symbol and carrying Israeli and national flags—slowly left the site, placing small wooden plaques resembling Jewish gravestones bearing the names of relatives who perished or messages of peace.
This year’s march was smaller than in previous years, with fewer Israeli participants due to the political situation, the PAP news agency reported. About 1,000 people from Israel attended, it said.