Gaza’s remaining Christians mark Christmas with subdued celebrations

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The small number of Christians still in Gaza have celebrated Christmas early this week because they're unable to make their normal pilgrimage to Bethlehem. After the two-year war, only a few hundred Christians remain in the besieged enclave. And despite the ceasefire, they say conditions in the strip still haven't significantly improved.

Transcript

00:00Christmas mass held early in Gaza. For many, this church has also been their shelter.

00:11With constant strikes and shelling, life was not easy, and the church itself was also shelled.

00:19Gaza's tiny Christian community is marking another year of war, hunger and destruction.

00:26A fragile ceasefire has provided some relief, but the ongoing struggles of displaced people are dampening many traditional festivities.

00:36Our house was destroyed in the first week of the war. We used to go and see it and try to fix a few things, but it is not fit for living in.

00:45The Catholic Church estimates more than 1,000 Christians, about two-thirds of those in the enclave, left during the war.

00:54But those who remain are trying to capture some of the Christmas spirit.

00:59We are holding a few activities for the children to help with their mental health.

01:04We remember how we used to live before the war, how we had a house where we used to decorate a tree.

01:12I mean, we would start preparing for Christmas a month before.

01:17It's hard not to reminisce about what's been lost.

01:21Houses, hospitals, schools, everyday life, people live in tents. So the situation remains very, very, very problematic.

01:30But I feel also, in a way, a desire of a new beginning. And this is something positive that also is very helpful.

01:40A wish to feel joy despite the pain.

01:43For sure it is done.

01:56All right.

01:58We happened I don't even know myself whether I McGovern had any thoughts.

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