Christians gather for evening mass in Gaza

Dozens of Christians marked Christmas Eve in Gaza by celebrating Mass on Friday.

They gathered at the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City, echoing similar but much larger celebrations in the biblical West Bank city of Bethlehem.

Israel promised to issue 500 permits for Gazan Christians to travel to the West Bank to see family and visit Bethlehem during the holidays.

But some requests were rejected.

Gaza church officials say they submitted 700 permit applications, but 331 were turned down.

Amal Tarazai was hopeful to get a permit and visit her daughter who lives near Bethlehem, but was denied. She hasn't seen her daughter for three years.

Last year, closures due to the coronavirus pandemic muted celebrations. No Christians from Gaza were allowed into Israel or the West Bank due to the lockdown.

Alongside the two million Muslim residents of the Gaza Strip, there are only around 1,000 Christians.

The majority are Greek Orthodox.

They have endured years of an Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza and repeated conflicts between Israel and the militant Hamas group, which governs the Palestinian enclave.

Hamas and Israel fought their fourth war in over a decade last spring.