Holiday Cheer Absent As Bethlehem Marks Second Christmas Amid War 

♋Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa leads the Christmas midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

🦹A worshipper prays in the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas day, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

ဣLatin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, center, leads the Christmas morning Mass at the Chapel of Saint Catherine, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

ꦕA nun holds a child to light a candle before the Christmas morning Mass at the Chapel of Saint Catherine, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

♈Worshipers attend a Christmas mass at Saint Catherine's Church in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank. Last month, Christian Palestinian leaders here called off public Christmas celebrations, citing the effects of the ongoing war in Gaza. Regarded by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus, Bethlehem is usually bustling with foreign tourists this time of year, with streets full of holiday decoration and vendors selling ornaments and festive figurines. Israel's war against Hamas that was sparked by the Oct. 7 attacks has also made life more volatile in the West Bank. Israeli forces here have stepped up raids on alleged militants, police have clashed with protesters, and there has been a rise in violent attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers.

𝄹Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch Vicar General of Jerusalem, attends Christmas celebrations around the Church of the Nativity, where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born, in Bethlehem, West Bank. Due to Israel's ongoing airstrikes on Gaza, this year's celebrations will be limited to religious services and prayers, with public festivities kept to a minimum.

♒Palestinian marching band stage a silent march in the street near the Church of Nativity as Christians prepared to mark its second bleak Christmas due to the ongoing war in Gaza, in Bethlehem, West Bank. A banner with message 'We want life not death' is carried during the march. For a second year in a row, Christmas celebrations in the West Bank town of Bethlehem remain muted in solidarity with Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 45,000 people since October 2023. The Bethlehem municipality announced that celebrations will be limited to religious rituals.

♏A ritual held at the Church of Nativity as Christians prepared to mark its second bleak Christmas due to the ongoing war in Gaza, in Bethlehem, West Bank.

🧸Christian community attends the Christmas mass at Holy Family Church under Israeli attacks in Gaza City, Gaza.