Thousands of Christian faithful attend Palm Sunday celebrations in Jerusalem

Thousands of Christian faithful attend Palm Sunday celebrations at Jerusalem’s sacred Mount of Olives, marking the first day of Holy Week as conflict surges across the region.

Pilgrims wave branches and fronds in the air, items that were placed before Jesus’s feet as he was greeted by cheering crowds during his entrance into Jerusalem, according to the Bible.

Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre — revered as the site of Jesus’s crucifixion — also held a service earlier today.

The annual celebration comes as war rages on in Gaza, though it appears to have had little effect on the procession, which swells to a similar size as last year.

“Although there is war, in my impression I don’t feel any kind of tension,” says David Manini, a pilgrim from Italy.

“I’m here because I love Jesus Christ,” says Jennifer Weedon, who traveled from the United States for the occasion.

The celebration marks the beginning of the most somber week in the Christian calendar, which marks Jesus’s crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter.