Traditionally the lead up to December 25 would see pilgrims and tourists heading towards the streets of Bethlehem – this year however is a more subdued affair.
The main road into Bethlehem is currently closed. What would have been a 20 minute journey between the city and Jerusalem in September now takes over an hour with cars queuing to pass Israeli checkpoints, reports Sky News.
Shops in Manger Square would normally be selling Christmas decorations, but now their shutters are down and the stores are mostly said to be closed. One retailer told the broadcaster that even coronavirus wasn’t as bad as it is now.
Shopkeeper Rony Tabash said: “Usually we are full of pilgrims, full of tourists. Now we can see Bethlehem. It’s like the desert, we are almost two months without any business.
“We open every day because this place is part of our heart, part of our history, so we come here. Me and my father, my brother, to greet the people, to stay, to drink coffee.”
Meanwhile the Church of Nativity – known as the birthplace of Jesus – remains quiet even for its Sunday mass. Usually heaving with tourists, only a few Palestinian Christians are said to attend the services now.
However, the excitement and joy of Christmas is said to be absent this year. And, for the first time in years, there won’t be a Christmas tree in the local square.
The Reverand Munther Isaac from the Evangelical Lutheran Church told The National: “No one feels like celebrating. We celebrate a baby every Christmas but children are being literally massacred in Gaza right now.”
Christmas this year will fall just over 12 weeks after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people with even more taken hostage. It prompted Israel to reply with an offensive on the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas-run health ministry claims over 20,000 people have been killed in Gaza since – including thousands of women and children. Israel’s latest bombardment hit Palestine on Friday night, killing at least 18 people in the Nuseirat refugee camp, local reports say.
People in a second refugee camp, Bureij, were told to move south as Israel continued its ground offensive. The United Nations meanwhile passed a resolution to urge for more aid in Gaza.
However, the UN Security Council fell short of calling for an immediate ceasefire.
