No Christmas tree in Bethlehem as holiday pared down over Israel's war on Gaza

There will be no Christmas tree in Bethlehem this year as the traditional site of Jesus' birth holds pared-down celebrations "without the fanfare and without too many lights" in the shadow of the Gaza war.

Bethlehem, which neighbours Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, has been battered by Israeli aggression of years past.

But many townspeople have been especially gripped by the current war on Gaza, 50 km (30 miles) away.

Following the October 7 assault on southern Israel by Hamas, the war has seen much of the impoverished enclave devastated in an Israeli offensive with no end in sight.

In the early days of every December, church leaders convene in Bethlehem to inaugurate the pre-Christmas Advent season, usually a major tourist draw.

But this year the streets and plazas of the hilly town were largely empty and sombre under a dry winter sun.

"We have never seen Bethlehem like this, not even during the time of COVID. The town is empty, sad," Father Ibrahim Faltas, a senior Franciscan friar, told news agency Reuters in front of the Church of the Nativity.

"Today was meant to be a joyous day."

Palestinians were in pain at the "many children, women, the elderly, the people who were martyred in this crazy war", he said.

Gazan authorities put the Palestinian death toll at more than 15,000, while Israel says it lost 1,200 people to the initial Hamas attack.

The UN has deplored the resumption of Israel's military operations in Gaza, describing the hostilities as "catastrophic".

Appealing for a lasting ceasefire, UNICEF described inaction on Gaza as "an approval of the killing of children." pic.twitter.com/UDkCrpKLP1

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) December 1, 2023

For the first time in many residents' memories, no Christmas tree had been erected in Nativity Square, where the church prepared to hold religious services shorn of festive events.

"We will celebrate in sobriety," said Father Francesco Patton of the Custody of the Holy Land church group.

"That means without the fanfare and without too many lights, in the most spiritual way and more (among) families than in the square."