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24 Dec 2023

Prayers for Gaza at Bethlehem Christmas Eve vigil

Social Affairs Editor and Presenter

Now as the biblical birthplace of Jesus, the town of Bethlehem is normally bustling on Christmas Eve.

But this year the Israel-Hamas war has cancelled Christmas for many, with Palestinian security forces replacing the tourists in an empty Manger Square.

The annual nativity scene now includes representations of barbed wire and rubble, with a baby Jesus wrapped in a white shroud.