Christmas celebrations return to Bethlehem after Israel-Hamas peace deal
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Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas for the first time since the implementation of the US-brokered Israel-Hamas peace deal.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who has served as the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem since 2020, kicked off the celebration by calling for a “Christmas full of light” during a traditional procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. Associated Press reported. According to the AP report, Pizzaballa said that when he arrived at Manger Square, named after the manger where Jesus was laid after his birth, according to Christian traditions, he came with greetings from the Christian community in Gaza, where he held a pre-Christmas service on Sunday.
“We all decided to be the light together, and the light of Bethlehem is the light of the world,” Pizzaballa told the crowd, according to the AP.
THE BIRTHPLACE OF JESUS WAS FORCED ON A TWO-YEAR BREAK TO CONTINUE POST-WAR CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS
People gather near the Christmas tree in Manger Square on Christmas Eve with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, in the Old City of Bethlehem, West Bank, December 24, 2025. (Mussa Qawasma/Reuters)
In November, Bethlehem Mayor Maher Canawati announced that Christmas celebrations would resume in the city.
“From the heart of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, the city of peace, we once again light the fire of hope and raise our prayers for peace,” Canawati said in a video posted on Instagram. he said.
“Let’s celebrate the Christmas message together,” he added. “thank god in the highest – Peace on Earth, good will to all. Bethlehem keeps the light alive.”
Christmas festivities in Bethlehem, where Christians believe Jesus was born, started on December 6, when the city lit a Christmas tree for the first time since 2022.
“We came to celebrate, to watch and to enjoy, because we haven’t had this chance for several years,” Randa Bsoul, a Palestinian from Haifa, Israel, told Reuters.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, attends Christmas celebrations in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2025. (Ammar Awad/Reuters)
THE HISTORICAL ITALIAN VILLAGE, KNOWN FOR ITS NEW YEAR’S BIRTH SCENES, THE FIRST OF ITS KIND, has been attracting the attention of crowds for 800 YEARS
In Bethlehem, where the Palestinian Authority has limited control due to the Oslo Accords, Christmas celebrations have been limited in the last two years due to the war in Gaza. During the war, Manger Square featured a nativity scene surrounded by rubble and barbed wire, in homage to the situation in Gaza.
During the war, tourism-dependent Bethlehem experienced a steep decline in visitor numbers. Canawati said earlier this month that the city’s unemployment rate rose from 14% to 65%, according to the AP. Additionally, poverty in Bethlehem increased further, and approximately 4,000 people stopped looking for work.
Clergy stand as Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, attends Christmas celebrations in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2025. (Ammar Awad/Reuters)
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The US-brokered ceasefire agreement remained largely in effect, although each side accused the other of violating the agreement. Recently, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said that preparations for the second phase of the plan are continuing after high-level meetings held in Miami with representatives from Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye.
Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
