Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem canceled due to Gaza war

Church of the Nativity of Christ. Photo from file. Credit: Neil Ward, CC BY 2.0/Wikipedia

Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus, have been canceled this year because of the war in Gaza, leaving thousands of tourists and pilgrims who would normally fill Manger Square disappointed.

The famous Christmas tree that usually stands in the center of the square is missing. There are no carols or Christmas markets.

Instead, the children of Gaza are commemorated by a Nativity scene depicting the newborn Jesus surrounded by large stones and barbed wire.

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

— 🇧🇩🔻 Ujala/নিশিথিনী | সব নিপীড়িত মানুষের মুক্তি (@shimmeringolds) December 25, 2023

Bethlehem is in mourning this Christmas
For most of the year, Bethlehem profits from its central place in the Christian story of the life of Jesus, who was born in a stable because there was no room in the inn for his parents and the baby was placed in an animal manger, the humblest of all beds. .

2,000 years later, pilgrims routinely flock to the supposed site of that stable in Bethlehem’s Byzantine-era Church of the Nativity, where joyful lights and trees can be seen in Manger Square on most Christmas holidays.

But since the Israeli campaign in Gaza more than 20,000 people diedThe Palestinian population of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank is also in mourning, according to health authorities in the Hamas-ruled enclave.

#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 about two percent of the population in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and in Gaza their share is even smaller, according to the “Defense Christians in the Holy Land” campaign organized by church leaders 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

Ahead of Christmas, Pope Francis condemned the ongoing killings in Gaza and suggested Israel was using “terrorism” tactics in the region.

On Christmas Eve, Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said an Israeli airstrike had killed at least 70 people in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the center of the strip. A ministry spokesman said the death toll could rise given the large number of families living in the area. Dozens of wounded were taken from Magazi to nearby Al-Aqsa Hospital. The footage shows that some children’s faces are covered in blood, and body bags are piled on the street.

Three houses were damaged in the attack on Sunday, according to the Ministry of Health. A densely populated residential area was destroyed, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said. The new attack came as Israeli and Arab media reported that Egypt, which borders the Gaza Strip, had put forward a new ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hamas.

Egypt’s new ceasefire proposal will consist of three parts

The first phase of the ceasefire, according to the proposal, would be a humanitarian pause of seven to 10 days, during which Hamas would release all civilian hostages in exchange for some Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.

In the second phase, which will last a week, Hamas will release all Israeli female soldiers in exchange for more prisoners and an exchange of corpses held since October 7.

In the third phase, which will last a month, the remaining hostages and several Palestinian prisoners will be released, Israel will withdraw troops from the Gaza Strip and suspend all air operations.

Indirect negotiations will be held in Egypt with the participation of Qatar and the United States.

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