On Christmas Eve, celebrations halted in Bethlehem due to Israel-Hamas war

The normally bustling biblical birthplace of Jesus resembled a ghost town on December 24, as Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem were called off due to the Israel-Hamas war. “This year, without the Christmas tree and without lights, there’s just darkness,” said Brother John Vinh, a Franciscan monk from Vietnam who has lived in Jerusalem for six years. Palestinian Christians held a somber Christmas vigil in Bethlehem, with candle-lit hymns and prayers for peace in Gaza instead of the usual festive celebrations at the spot where they believe Jesus Christ was born https://t.co/9W1LTUOHuvpic.twitter.com/e0hmRe55px — Reuters December 24, 2023 He said he always comes to Bethlehem to mark Christmas, but this year was especially sobering, as he gazed at a nativity scene in Manger Square with a baby Jesus wrapped in a white shroud, reminiscent of the thousands of children killed in the fighting in Gaza. “Our message every year on Christmas is one of peace and love, but this year it's a message of sadness, grief and anger in front of the international community with what is happening and going on in the Gaza Strip,” Bethlehem's mayor, Hana Haniyeh, said in an address to the crowd.