The thousands-year-old Christmas procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem is finally being celebrated with festive fanfare after a two-year pause to mourn the devastating war in Gaza.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, was flanked by adoring crowds as he marched down the ancient, narrow cobblestoned roads to Manger Square in front of the Church of the Nativity and blessed the babies of Bethlehem along the way.
After arriving, the cardinal stepped up on stage and told the full square of tourists and Palestinians from across the occupied West Bank: “You are the light, we are the light. The light of Bethlehem is the light of the world.”
At the base of the Christmas tree towering over Manger Square for the first time since 2022, a nativity display with baby Jesus sitting above a decorated billboard emblazoned with the text: “From here, the light of peace began.”
Before the procession set off for Bethlehem, at the Mar Elias Monastery in East Jerusalem, the cardinal told me: “This is a sign that we want to turn the page to look forward.
“The problems on the ground remain there but we need to react and respond to this situation and to look forward in order to find perspective and solutions for the terrible situation there.”
He has just returned from celebrating Christmas in the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, where 400 people are still being sheltered.
The Gaza Health Ministry reports that at least 400 people have been killed and over 1,000 injured since the start of the ceasefire on 10 October.
“It was sad to see the disaster in which the population are living in,” said the cardinal. “I was very struck by the resilience and their desire of life. They are very strong and determined to rebuild everything.”
Here in the West Bank, violence is increasing as illegal Israeli settlements expand.
On Sunday, Israel‘s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the approval of 19 more settlements – a move condemned by a group of 12 countries including Britain, Canada and Germany on Wednesday.
As we drive, we see Israeli flags mark a new settlement on the hilltop shepherd fields of Bethlehem’s Ush al Ghrab, where Jesus’s birth was announced in the Bible.
According to the United Nations Office for Co-ordination in Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), 238 Palestinians, including 56 children were killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank in 2025.
In Bethlehem’s Tuqu’ village, a mother grieves her 16-year-old son Ammar as Christmas is celebrated in the heart of the governate.
He was shot by the IDF in a raid on 15 December. At his funeral, 24 hours later, his friend Muheeb Ahmed was reportedly shot and killed by a settler.
The IDF told Sky News: “During IDF activity in the area of Tekoa, a confrontation occurred in which rocks were hurled toward the soldiers. The soldiers used riot dispersal means and later on fired toward a main inciter, and a hit was identified.
“The incident is under review.”
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Ammar’s mother tells us while cradling his photo: “Why would you kill a child?
“He hasn’t harmed you or is armed. What is a rock compared to gunpowder? It is nothing but they are cowards.”
“When I see the [Christmas] celebrations, I get upset and cry.
“I have to be honest, it hurts to see people celebrating because Palestine is still bleeding and people are dying from the rain and hunger. We are one nation. Why would they put up the tree? Why would they celebrate?”
For Palestinian Christians gathering to celebrate, festivities still feel sombre but an opportunity to revive hope.
“It is a moment to pray and pray for peace, solidarity and hope,” Monica Awad tells us in Manger Square as Christmas approaches.
“It hurts us so much to see our friends, family are still suffering in Gaza, even at this moment. But there is always hope. We believe in hope for a better future.”
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The war in Gaza started following the 7 October attack in 2023, when more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed by Hamas militants and more than 250 were taken hostage.
Health officials in Gaza say nearly 71,000 Palestinians have been killed since – a figure that does not differentiate between civilians and Hamas militants.
