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Pastor Munther Isaac added debris to an installation showing a figure representing the baby Jesus lying amid rubble in a grotto ahead of Christmas at the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Photo/REUTERS
BETHLEHEM – In Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, the Christmas season is gloomy. This year, there will be no Christmas lights in Bethlehem, no festive parades in Jerusalem or elaborate decorations in Israel.
In Gaza, Palestinians mourn the loss of more than 18,000 people killed by the brutal bombing of Israel’s racist colonial regime.
Bodies are being pulled out from under the rubble every day, while people continue to search for their missing loved ones amid large-scale destruction.
The war, which began on October 7, occurred at a time when Christians were usually preparing for the Christmas holiday season.
However, for the first time since the start of modern Christmas celebrations, Jesus’ birthplace and Manger Square tree in Bethlehem will not be decorated.
Christian leaders and Bethlehem city authorities have decided to cancel all public celebrations, saying they are “inappropriate”.
Church leaders in Jerusalem have asked Christians to refrain from Christmas activities that “celebrate unnecessary things”. The Catholic Church in the Galilee also made a similar request.
The president of the Council of Local Evangelical Churches in the Holy Land, Munir Kakish, said the decision was taken because of “thousands of people killed and in prayer for peace”.
He added, “We will only have traditional services and services about the meaning of Christmas.”
No Celebrations during the Gaza Genocide
Palestinian Christians living in the diaspora are also affected by the ongoing aggression in Gaza and choose to celebrate Christmas in a more sober manner as they mourn.