The city of Bethlehem in the West Bank celebrated Christmas Eve with sadness and silence as the Israeli war on Gaza continued for the third month in a row. Eid celebrations were absent in the Church of the Nativity, where they were replaced by prayers and calls for peace.
The Bethlehem Municipality canceled celebrations due to the war in Gaza. The Christmas tree and signs of joy were absent in the city, to which the holiday attracted thousands annually.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Berbattista Pizzaballa, arrived in the courtyard of the Church of the Nativity, placing the Palestinian keffiyeh around his neck. The Patriarch presented children from the Boy Scouts, who replaced the festive musical instruments, with banners that read, “Let the war stop now” and “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
The Patriarch said, “Our hearts are with Gaza, to all the people in Gaza, but in particular to our Christian parish in Gaza that is suffering, but we know that we are not the only ones suffering.”
He continued, “We are here to pray and ask not only for a ceasefire. A ceasefire is not enough. We must stop these hostilities and turn the page because violence only breeds violence.”
The Christmas tree was not placed in the courtyard of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, and the scout bands did not play when the Latin Patriarch Pierre Battista Pizzaballa entered the church courtyard because of the war.
In Gaza City, Christians celebrated Christmas Eve in the Church of the Holy Family in the Latin Monastery complex, in an atmosphere of sadness that descended on the church in light of the absence of celebrations and their confinement to prayers due to the continuing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
Pope Francis said during the Christmas Mass in the Vatican, “Our heart tonight is in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is still rejected by the losing logic of war, with the roar of weapons that prevents him to this day from finding a place for himself in the world.”