Residents in Bethlehem awoke to a quiet city on Christmas morning because holiday celebrations have been largely muted due to the war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and other religious leaders arrived in Bethlehem on Sunday for their annual Christmas Eve procession, although the scene was much subdued from its typical fanfare. There were no decorations or lights, the traditional Manger Square Christmas Tree was absent, and no parades were traveling down the streets.
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Local religious leaders issued a statement last month encouraging a scaled-back Christmas celebration, instead urging Christians to “stand strong” with those in Gaza and the West Bank during the war by “foregoing any unnecessarily festive activities.” Christmas festivities in Bethlehem typically last from mid-November through January, but this year has seen an abbreviated season.
“We likewise encourage our priests and the faithful to focus more on the spiritual meaning of Christmas in their pastoral activities and liturgical celebrations during this period, with all the focus being directed at holding in our thoughts our brothers and sisters affected by this war and its consequences, and with fervent prayers for a just and lasting peace for our beloved Holy land,” the leaders wrote.
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The muted celebrations come as more than 20,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began in October, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza. Roughly 85% of citizens in the region have been displaced.
Since the Oct. 7 attack, officials have established military checkpoints heading in and out of Bethlehem and other Palestinian towns inside the West Bank, restricting the usual bouts of visitors who travel to the area during the Christmas season. Up to 150,000 people have visited the area during Christmas in previous years, but this year, it is almost empty.
