Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem the biblical birthplace of Jesus have been canceled this year due to war in Gaza and the thousands of tourists and pilgrims who would normally fill Manger Square are nowhere to be found.
The famous Christmas tree, usually in the middle of the square, is not there. There are no carols or Christmas market stands.
Instead, a nativity scene, which shows a newborn Jesus surrounded by big rocks and barbed wire, has been installed as a tribute to the children of Gaza.
The heartfelt message of Father Dr. Munther Ishaq, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in #Bethlehem, from birthplace of Jesus Christ to the whole world. (Subtitled) pic.twitter.com/0EOk1yMCeE
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সব নিপীড়িত মানুষের মুক্তি Ujala/নিশিথিনী (@shimmeringolds) December 25, 2023
Bethlehem in mourning this Christmas
Most years Bethlehem basks in the central place it holds in the Christian story of Jesus’ life, born there in a stable because there was no room for his parents at the inn, and placed in an animal’s manger, the humblest of all possible beds.
Some 2,000 years later, pilgrims usually flock to the reputed location of that stable in Bethlehem’s Byzantine-era Church of the Nativity, where most Christmases there are joyful displays of lights and trees in Manger Square.
But with Israel’s campaign in Gaza having killed more than 20,000 people, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave, the mostly Palestinian population of Bethlehem in the Occupied West Bank are in mourning too.
#Bethlehem under the impression of a destructive war in #Gaza. #Christmas2023 pic.twitter.com/kdGH2soJVU
— Simon Wolfgang Fuchs (@Simon_W_Fuchs) December 25, 2023
Christians make up around two percent of the population across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian territories and have a smaller proportion in Gaza, according to Protecting Holy Land Christians, a campaign organized by the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem.
Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem celebrate Christmas with mass protests in support of Gaza.
Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem celebrate Christmas with mass protests in support of Gaza and denouncing the Israeli occupation’s massacres.#ChristmasCancelledInPalestine#Bethlehem #Palestine #GazaMassacare #Gaza_Genocide pic.twitter.com/Q2CYvYS7cq
— Embassy of The State of Palestine-Zimbabwe (@PalestineInZim) December 25, 2023
Hamas says 70 people were killed on Christmas eve
In the lead-up to Christmas, Pope Francis condemned the ongoing killing in Gaza and suggested Israel was using “terrorism” tactics in the region.
On Christmas eve Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says an Israeli air strike killed at least 70 people in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the center of the strip.
A spokesman said the death toll was likely to rise given the large number of families living in the area. Dozens of injured people were rushed from Maghazi to nearby Al-Aqsa Hospital with footage showing some children’s faces covered in blood and body bags piled outside.
The health ministry says three houses were hit in the attack late on Sunday. According to ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra, a densely populated residential block was destroyed.
The new attack comes as Israeli and Arab media say Egypt, which borders the Gaza Strip, has put forward a new proposal for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The new ceasefire proposal by Egypt would be implemented in three parts:
The first phase of the ceasefire would see a humanitarian pause of seven to ten days during which Hamas would release all civilian hostages in exchange for some Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
In the week-long second phase, Hamas would release all Israeli female soldiers in return for more prisoners and the exchange of corpses held since 7 October.
The third phase, which would last a month, would see the release of the remaining hostages and a number of Palestinian prisoners and Israel withdrawing from the Gaza Strip and suspension of all aerial activities.
Indirect negotiations would be held in Egypt with Qatari and US participation.