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The Latest Breaking News from Bethlehem

Skies of Bethlehem ‘full of fear’, says archbishop in Christmas Day sermon

Reverend Justin Welby compared the turbulent conditions of Jesus’s birth with the modern-day plight of children caught up in the war

Evening Standard

Pope Francis makes Christmas appeal for peace in the world

Francis told how the biblical story of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem sent a message of peace

Evening Standard

Israel and Hamas conflict escalates, third-party intervention needed

Explore the complex and somber reality of the Israel-Hamas conflict as a retired U.S. Marine offers insights and calls for action against Iran-backed militias.

Top News

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Hope and Prayers: Pope Urged to Assist in Gaza Hostage Release

Experience a different kind of Christmas in the Holy Land, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues. The lack of celebration in Bethlehem is a sy...

Top News

Israel hits Bethlehem in Christmas raids on occupied West Bank

Dozens have been arrested as Israeli forces stormed Jenin and areas around Nablus.

Al Jazeera

Church of Scotland issues Gaza statement as Christmas cancelled in Bethlehem

THE Church of Scotland has issued a Christmas statement as the war in Gaza rages on and the usual festivities in Bethlehem are cancelled.

The National (Scotland)

Holy Land Cancels Christmas Amidst Intense Gaza Violence

Amidst the heavy fighting between Israel and Hamas, Bethlehem cancels Christmas celebrations in a poignant show of solidarity with Palestine.

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Gaza War Makes For Sombre Christmas In The Holy Land

Sadness over the war in Gaza subdued the holiday cheer in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, when the biblical town would usually be decked out in festive finery.

International Business Times

Palestinians Feel 'No Joy' As Israel Bombs Gaza On Christmas

Palestinians said they felt "no joy" this Christmas as Israel bombed the besieged Palestinian territory on Monday, with no end in sight to the war that Hamas says has claimed more than 20,000 lives.

International Business Times

Bethlehem’s bombed-out nativity sculpture sends a powerful message

The scene of a devastated nativity cave symbolises the plight of Christ’s family — and Palestinians now.

Al Jazeera

Pope Kicks Off Christmas Celebrations In Shadow Of War

Pope Francis has kicked off global Christmas celebrations with a call for peace, as Israel's war on Hamas and Russia's invasion of Ukraine cast a shadow over one of the world's favourite holidays.

International Business Times

'Tonight Our Hearts Are In Bethlehem,' Pope Says In Christmas Mass

Pope Francis on Sunday appealed for peace as he kicked off Christmas celebrations with a mass at Saint Peter's Basilica as the Israel-Hamas war raged in the Gaza Strip.

Latin Times

Pope Francis mourns the rejection of peace and 'futile logic of war' this Christmas

In his Christmas Mass address Sunday, he said the word of God is being drowned out by the violence in Gaza. Pope Francis has called for a ceasefire multiple times since the war started on Oct. 7.

WEKU

Watch: Midnight mass at the Nativity Church in Bethlehem

Watch as midnight mass was held in Bethlehem on 24 December, to mark the start of Christmas, despite the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The Independent UK

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The Conversation

The Christmas when all the sodomites died

There is an obscure medieval legend that says once upon a time in Bethlehem, a child was born whose holiness was so great it required the slaughter of all the “sodomites” in the world.

Evening Standard

Bethlehem resembles ghost town on Christmas Eve

The biblical birthplace of Jesus was unusually lacking in tourists and jubilance

Top News

Bethlehem's Ghostly Christmas: War Brings Darkness Instead of Joy

Experience the somber yet hopeful atmosphere in Bethlehem as Christmas celebrations are canceled amidst the Israel-Hamas war. A unique holiday season.

International Business Times

Pope Kicks Off Christmas Celebrations In Shadow Of Wars

Pope Francis on Sunday kicked off global Christmas celebrations with a call for peace, as Israel's war on Hamas and Russia's invasion of Ukraine cast a shadow over one of the world's favourite holidays.

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The Independent UK

Pope says 'our hearts are in Bethlehem' as he presides over the Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's

Pope Francis in a Christmas Eve homily said that “the clash of arms even today” prevents Jesus “from finding room in the world."

Top News

Bethlehem's Nativity scene depicts baby Jesus amidst Gaza's rubble

This holiday season, Bethlehem's Christmas celebrations take on a somber tone amidst the war in Gaza. A nativity scene depicts baby Jesus lying amidst the ...

The Guardian - US

‘It’s impossible to celebrate’: Gaza war opens fissures among US Christians

With Christmas canceled in the Holy Land, how are US Christians viewing the war?

France 24

Bethlehem nearly deserted as Christmas celebrations suspended over Israel-Hamas war

The normally bustling biblical birthplace of Jesus resembled a ghost town on Sunday, as Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem were called off due to the Israel-Hamas war. The festive lights and Christmas tree that normally decorate Manger Square were missing, as were the throngs of foreign tourists who gather each…

The Independent UK

On Christmas Eve, Bethlehem resembles a ghost town. Celebrations are halted due to Israel-Hamas war.

The normally bustling biblical birthplace of Jesus looks like a ghost town on Christmas Eve, with celebrations in Bethlehem called off due to the Israel-Hamas war

Al Jazeera

What are Palestine’s unique Christmas rituals, disrupted by Israel’s war?

This year’s Christmas will have rubble-laden mangers and silent processions amid the Israel, Hamas war.

The Guardian - UK

‘If Jesus was born today, he’d be born under the rubble’: Bethlehem set for forlorn Christmas

Usually full of tourists, Manger Square is now sad and empty, and a nativity baby Jesus lies nearby in rubble

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