Israel–Hamas War Dampens Christmas Celebrations in Bethlehem

A war raging in the area, with people hurting on every side, has muted festivities in Bethlehem, where Jesus was born.

Palestinians walk in the empty square outside the Nativity Church in the biblical city of Bethlehem, on Dec. 20, 2023. Hazem Bader/AFP via Getty Images

Christmas in Jesus’s birthplace is a muted affair this year, with the Holy Land cloven by war. The war in Gaza rages, with thousands of civilian casualties, Israelis still held hostage, and many more back home still reeling from the Oct. 7 attacks.

Bethlehem, along the flight path of rockets Hamas in Gaza fires at Jerusalem, has seen explosions directly overhead as Israel’s Iron Dome system intercepts those missiles, an American in Bethlehem told The Epoch Times.