Bethlehem lights Christmas tree again while conflict still echoes nearby

Bethlehem lights Christmas tree again while conflict still echoes nearby


For the past two years — while the war in Gaza has been taking place — all Christmas celebrations have been canceled in Bethlehem, the town where Jesus was born. However after the recent ceasefire, the famous town decided to have its Christmas celebrations return, starting with the lighting of the giant Christmas tree in front of the historic Church of the Nativity on Dec. 6. Father Gabriel Romanelli, the priest at Holy Family Church in Gaza, the only Catholic church in the area, shared on X that on the same day of the Bethlehem tree lighting a bomb went off approximately 200 meters (650 feet) from his parish.

Author: Francesca Pollio Fenton


Published at: 2025-12-08 22:39:00

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