Bethlehem cancels Christmas, minimizing celebrations in Jesus' birthplace, amid ongoing bloodshed between Israel and Hamas

Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, will be virtually canceled this year due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

Churches in Christendom's holy land, located in the West Bank, demanded that festivities this Christmas be toned down in recognition of the suffering felt by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank following Israel's response to the Hamas attack on October 7.

The Black Saturday attack by Hamas on October 7 led to 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, being mercilessly killed in the early morning hours.

In response, Israel launched a brutal response that it said was aimed at eliminating Hamas but has so far killed thousands of civilians, about 70% of whom are women and children.

“We cannot celebrate when our brothers and sisters die,” said Issa Thaljieh, a Greek Orthodox priest at the Church of the Nativity, the fourth-century place of worship whose crypt houses the supposed birthplace of Christ. the times.

The city normally sees an influx of around 150,000 tourists during the Christmas period, but fighting has reduced that number to virtually zero

The Black Saturday attack by Hamas on October 7 led to 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, being mercilessly killed in the early morning hours.

A Christmas tree that normally stands in the city's central square will not be erected, and Christmas lights that normally bathe the city in a warm glow at night will not be lit.

Thaljieh revealed that he had learned that an entire Gaza family he knew had recently been wiped out in an airstrike, months after he prayed for their newborn daughter.

He said he is now praying for the young daughter's peaceful rest: “They are grieving. We must stand behind them.'

Thaljieh said he was worried about his three children, whom he raised in the occupied city: “It is not easy for them to grow up in a prison.

'If they want to go somewhere, they are not allowed. There are no swimming pools or playgrounds here for them to go to.”

The city normally sees an influx of around 150,000 tourists during the Christmas period, but fighting has reduced that number to virtually zero.

One souvenir seller revealed that he had not sold anything for fifty days.

Ziad Bandak, 57, a Greek Orthodox Christian, said: 'We sit and play backgammon all day. I come two days a week, so I'm not at home all the time.'

One church set up an installation depicting a scene from the Nativity with a figure “symbolizing the baby Jesus lying in his manger amid the rubble.”

“We cannot celebrate when our brothers and sisters die,” said Issa Thaljieh, a Greek Orthodox priest of the Church of the Nativity (pictured).

Despite the country being a holy place known for its peace, there have been clashes between the IDF and West Bank civilians since October 7, which have only increased in frequency and lethality.

In early November, a month after Hamas attacked Israel, dozens of Bethlehem residents were attacked by IDF forces.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said at the time that its medical teams were treating 64 injuries resulting from the clashes.

It added that in ten cases people were injured by live bullets, while others suffocated from Israeli tear gas.

Residents have protested in small ways, with one church within the Evangelical Lutheran Church setting up an installation of a scene of the Nativity with a figure “symbolizing the baby Jesus lying in his manger among the rubble,” referring to Gaza .

The focus of the conflict has shifted to the south of the besieged area, following heavy fighting and bombing that left much of the north in ruins.

Despite not being the focus of Israel's military campaign against Hamas, 267 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7.

Residents said there was heavy fighting in and around the southern town of Khan Younis, where Israeli ground forces opened a new attack line last week.

The US has provided unwavering diplomatic and military support to Israel's campaign, even as it has urged Israel to minimize civilian casualties and further mass displacement.

Israel has vowed to keep fighting until it removes Hamas from power, dismantles its military capabilities and returns all the dozens of hostages still held by Palestinian militants.

Although Israel's military campaign against Hamas was not the focus, 267 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

The focus of the conflict has shifted to the south of the besieged area after heavy fighting and bombing left much of the north in ruins and forced nearly two million people to flee their homes.

But the brutal bombing, which the Hamas-led Health Ministry says has killed 18,000 Palestinians in Gaza, “reduces the opportunity” for a new ceasefire, Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said.

Israel has vowed to keep fighting until it removes Hamas from power, dismantles its military capabilities and returns all the dozens of hostages still held by Palestinian militants after they were captured in the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel that ignited the war.

The US has provided unwavering diplomatic and military support to the campaign, even as it has urged Israel to minimize civilian casualties and further mass displacement.

Residents said there was heavy fighting in and around the southern town of Khan Younis, where Israeli ground forces opened a new attack line last week, and that fighting was still ongoing in parts of Gaza City and the built-up Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza . , where large areas have been reduced to rubble.