From Bethlehem kicks off first full Christmas festivities since start of Gaza war
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Christmas festivities return to Bethlehem after they were replaced by somber marches over the past two years due to the was against Hamas in Gaza.
Footage shows youth scout marching bands, complete with bagpipes, parading through the city’s Manger Square, site of the Church of the Nativity, which stands over the grotto where Jesus was born, according to the Christian Bible.
In the center of the Square stands a large Christmas tree, also absent for the past two years.
بعد عامين.. عرض لفرق الكشافة في ساحة المهد بمدينة #بيت_لحم إيذانا ببدء الاحتفالات بعيد الميلاد وفقا للتقويم الغربي #الجزيرة_مباشر pic.twitter.com/MuEqCCsTRk
— الجزيرة مباشر (@ajmubasher) December 24, 2025
Celebrations in Bethlehem, in the southern West Bank, are traditionally led by Palestinian Christian scout groups. This year, according to Palestinian media, the city will host nearly two dozen troops — about 4,500 people.
The parade is set to be followed by Christmas carol performances and a visit to the Nativity Church by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, who also paid a visit to Gaza’s tiny Catholic community on Monday.
“From Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, where peace is born in defiance of cruelty, we renew our promise this Christmas,” the Bethlehem municipality says on Facebook. “Hope, resilience and justice, so that peace will become a reality.”
The Times of Israel Community.