Bethlehem marks somber Christmas amid conflict

There is no joy, no festive spirit. We don't even know who will survive until the next holiday,

he added

This year is different — there’s happiness, victory and a new birth for Syria and a new birth for Christ,

said Houssam Saadeh, one attendee

We hope by next year at the same day we’d be able to celebrate Christmas at our homes and go to Bethlehem,

said Najla Tarazi, a displaced woman who prayed for the war to end

I’m actually glad its falling,

said driver Mirsad Jasarevic in Zenica, Bosnia

They did such an amazing job,

said visitor Aly Beinert

That’s why I didn’t put up the Christmas tree,

the widowed grandmother said

We constantly ask God to protect us and safeguard us from all evil,

said Atallah, 77, a retired surgeon who once travelled the world but now rarely leaves the church compound and sleeps in a cot in a crowded storage room

Honestly, it’s a desert,

said Rony Tabash, whose family has run a gift store near the Church of the Nativity for nearly a century

Happy New Year, may you be in peace,

Samhiaa, 74, told her sister over the crackly line, urging her to celebrate Christmas despite everything

We are praying in silence this year — and we want to send a message to the whole world,

explains Issa Musleh, a priest at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Bethlehem

Now only a few locals come by sometimes, and they usually buy the cheapest products. They don't have any money either,

Sabella told DW

There was a guest from Nigeria here a few weeks ago,

he recalls

We want life, not death" ... Stop the Gaza genocide now!"

Other banners said

I have to say that Christmas in Bethlehem is always nice, but this time is the second year we have a sad Christmas in Bethlehem

said Pizzaballa

To say that it is a special year because there is more and more poverty is sad, but it is true,

Mariana Gonzalez, spokesperson for the Movement of Excluded Workers, one of the organisers, said

We got here early to attend 4:00 pm mass, and to get a good spot. It's a superb monument,

said Julien Violle, a 40-year-old engineer who travelled to Paris from Switzerland along with his two children

Gregory Guillotgeneral

Of course, we are concerned about drones and anything else in the air,

NORAD commander Guillot told Fox News

This Christmas carries the stench of death and destruction,

said George al-Sayegh, who for weeks has sought refuge in the 12th-century Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City

What we're going through is very difficult and we can't completely forget about it,

said Makhoul of the plight of Palestinians in the besieged territory, which is separated from the West Bank by Israeli territory

Although this year is very different from other years, it still means a lot to us to be here,

said Makhoul, who was visiting with his partner