Birthplace of Jesus Christ turns into a ghost town: The story of Bethlehem stuck in war | In Pics
As the world gets into the holy spirits, Bethlehem has decided to scale down its Christmas festivities amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Source: AP
The holy city situated in the now-occupied West Bank is the birthplace of Jesus Christ and is visited by thousands of pilgrims every year.
Source: AP
However, this year the tourist place turned into a ghost town as the holy place struggles to navigate through one of the deadliest conflict the region faced in its history.
Source: AP
The scaled-down festivity came just one year after Christmas returned to Bethlehem in full-swing in 2022, following two years of curtailed festivities due to COVID-19.
Source: AP
Christian leaders in the city have vocally condemned Hamas' October 7 terror attack against Israel. However, they have also condemned Israel for conducting "collective violence" against Gazans.
Source: AP
Across the city many churches have put out nativity scene depicting the turbulent situation in the region.
Source: AP
One of the scenes depicted Jesus Christ wrapped in a keffiyeh, surrounded by rubble. The ongoing war has become the deadliest conflict the region witnessed in its modern history.