BETHLEHEM (West Bank) – Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of Christ after two years of unrest in the war-torn Holy Land. Giant Christmas tree that was absent during Israel-Hamas war He returned on Wednesday for Christmas Eve celebrations.
The city where Jesus was born was Cancellation of Christmas celebrations Over the past two years. Instead, Manger Square featured a birth scene of baby Jesus surrounded by rubble and barbed wire in honor of the situation in Gaza.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizza BallThe highest Catholic religious leader in the Holy Land began this year’s celebrations during the traditional procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, calling for a “Christmas full of light.”
Watch Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem:
Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the most senior Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, arrives at the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Wednesday, December 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Catholic clergy take part in the annual procession to the Church of the Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, December 24, 2025. (Issam Rimawi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Catholic clergy take part in the annual Christmas procession led by Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa outside the Church of the Nativity, where Jesus was born, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on December 24, 2025. Scouts marched under clear blue skies in Bethlehem on December 24, 2025, as the Palestinian city emerged from the shadow of war in Gaza to celebrate its first festive Christmas in more than two years. years. (Ilya Yefimovich/AFP via Getty Images)
Catholic clergy walk in procession past the Church of the Nativity, where Jesus was born, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Catholic clergy walk in procession past the Church of the Nativity, where Jesus was born, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Catholic clergy join Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa in a procession to the Church of the Nativity, where Jesus was born, in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2025. (Issam Al-Rimawi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Palestinian Christians attend Christmas celebrations, which have been restricted for the past two years due to the war in Gaza, at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank, on December 24, 2025. (Issam Rimawi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Upon his arrival at Manger Square, Pizzaballa said that he came bearing greetings from him Small Christian community in GazaWhere he held a pre-Christmas mass on Sunday. In the midst of the devastation, he saw a desire to rebuild.
He told thousands of Christians and Muslims: “We have all decided to be the light, and the light of Bethlehem is the light of the world.”
Despite the holiday cheer, the impact of the war in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is acute, especially in Bethlehem, where about 80% of the Muslim-majority city’s population lives. Depends on tourism related businessaccording to the local government.
The vast majority of revelers were residents, with a few foreigners. But some residents said they are starting to see signs of change as tourism slowly returns.
“Hope in very dark situations”
Tour guide Georgette Jackman from Bethlehem said: “Today is a day of joy, a day of hope, the beginning of the return to normal life here.” She and her husband, Michael Jackman, another guide, come from Christian families in Bethlehem that stretch back several generations.
This is the first real Christmas celebration for their two children, who are 2 1/2 years old and 10 months old.
During the war, the Jackaman family focused on creating a website selling Palestinian handicrafts to support others who had lost their livelihoods. The unemployment rate in the city jumped from 14% to 65%, said Mayor of Bethlehem Maher Nicola Kanawati he said earlier this month.
Visitor from France, Mona Reuer, said, “I came because I wanted to better understand what people are going through in Palestine, and you can feel that people have gone through a very difficult time.”
Her friends and family warned her not to come because of the volatile situation, but Reuer said being in Bethlehem helped her appreciate the meaning of the holiday.
“Christmas is like hope in very dark situations, where a very vulnerable child has suffered cruelty,” she said.
An aerial photo shows Palestinian Scouts marching during the annual Christmas Eve celebrations to Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on December 24, 2025. (HAZEM BADER/AFP via Getty Images)
Despite the Gaza ceasefire that began in October, tensions remain high in much of the West Bank.
The Israeli army continues to launch raids in what it calls a crackdown on activists. Israeli settlers attacks Attacks against Palestinians have reached their highest levels since the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs began collecting data in 2006. Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East War. The internationally recognized Palestinian Authority enjoys limited autonomy in parts of the Strip, including Bethlehem.
The mayor said that with the rise in poverty and unemployment rates, about 4,000 people left Bethlehem in search of work. It is part of a A worrying trend for ChristiansWho are leaving the region in large numbers. Christians constitute less than 2% of the West Bank’s population of approximately 3 million people.
The beginning of the return to normal life
Fadi Al-Zoghbi, who previously worked supervising logistics for tour groups, said his children were happy to see the bands pouring into the streets of Bethlehem.
The Scouts represent cities and towns across the West Bank, with Palestinian flags and tartans draped over bagpipes. For the past two years, the Boy Scouts have been marching silently in protest of the war.
Palestinian Boy Scouts parade in Manger Square near the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Wednesday, December 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
December 24, 2025, Palestinian Territories, Bethlehem: A band plays during the Christmas parade in Bethlehem. Photo: Mamoun Wazouz/DPA (Photo by Mamoun Wazouz/Alliance Image via Getty Images)
Palestinian Boy Scouts parade in Manger Square near the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Palestinian Boy Scouts march during Christmas Eve celebrations to Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, December 24, 2025. (HAZEM BADER / AFP via Getty Images)
Palestinian Christians attend Christmas celebrations, which have been restricted for the past two years due to the war in Gaza, at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, on December 24, 2025. (Issam Rimawi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa holds a child as he walks toward the Church of the Nativity, birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas Eve in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, December 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Irene Kermes, who grew up in Bethlehem and lives in Ramallah, said the Scout Parade is among her favorite Christmas traditions. Her 15-year-old daughter plays drums with the Ramallah Boy Scouts.
But her family had to wake up at 5 a.m. to get to the show, and waited more than three hours at Israeli checkpoints. The flight previously took 40 minutes without Checkpoints that made travel increasingly difficult She said to the Palestinians.
“It’s very emotional to see people trying to look back, trying to celebrate peace and love,” Kermes said.
During the past two years, the heads of churches in Jerusalem He urged the groups to compromise “Any unnecessary ceremonial activities.” They encouraged priests and faithful to focus on the spiritual meaning of Christmas and called for “fervent prayer for a just and lasting peace for our beloved Holy Land.”
Other events in the Middle East indicate the steadfastness of believers
Christmas was everywhere with the return of the traditional parade to Nazareth in northern Israel, revered by Christians as the place where the archangel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would give birth to Jesus.
The hilltop town is full of children. Some starred in live nativity scenes, while others lined the road waiting for floats and candy under the warm, bright sun.
On the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, hundreds of worshipers planned to return for Christmas Mass at a Greek Orthodox church where a suicide attack killed 25 people in June. Tuesday, Gather together To light up a neon image of a Christmas tree in your yard.
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The Associated Press contributed to this story, including AP journalists Abby Sewell in Beirut and Ariel Shalit in Nazareth, Israel.