Bethlehem celebrates first festive Christmas since Gaza war

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00:00In Bethlehem Wednesday night, crowns of worshippers and a festive atmosphere outside the Church

00:05of the Nativity as Christmas celebrations in the biblical birthplace of Jesus returned

00:11after two years of absence.

00:13This is a joyous chance for us to celebrate the Mass as Catholics.

00:19This is by far the most special Christmas I've ever had and I'm just so grateful.

00:24It's such a blessing to be here.

00:27Inside, as he led the traditional Midnight Mass, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem could

00:32not avoid discussing the reason for the past two years cancellations, the suffering and

00:37devastation in nearby Gaza under an Israeli siege that has killed tens of thousands, mostly

00:43civilians.

00:44Clearly, despite the cessation of the war, suffering is still present in Gaza.

00:50Families live in the rubble and the future appears fragile and uncertain.

00:57The wounds are deep.

00:59And the ceasefire in Gaza remains extremely tenuous.

01:03Israel has continued to kill hundreds of Palestinians, including a number of small children, since

01:08it took effect in October.

01:10The West Bank, in which Bethlehem lies, just south of Jerusalem, has seen its own fortunes

01:16worsened since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas that set off the war.

01:21Occupying Israeli forces have been conducting raids across the territory against what they

01:26say are militant cells.

01:28Meanwhile, land grabs and violent attacks by extremist Israeli settlers have been on the

01:33rise.

01:34Roughly 120 unofficial settler outposts have been installed over the past two years.

01:39Nineteen settlements have just been officially approved, and a move the far-right cabinet

01:44of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says is aimed at burying the idea of a future Palestinian

01:50annihilation state.

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