By MELANIE LIDMAN, The Associated Press
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas Eve as crowds of families and music and decorations heralded a much-needed boost of Christmas spirit after two years of war-tinged somber celebrations.
The giant Christmas tree that was absent during the Israel-Hamas war returned on Wednesday, overlooking a parade of hundreds of smartly dressed scouts playing well-known Christmas songs on bagpipes.
The city where Christians believe Jesus was born cancelled Christmas celebrations for the past two years during the war in Gaza, holding muted celebrations few decorations or lights or festive events.
Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, is received by local community while crossing an Israeli military checkpoint from Jerusalem ahead of celebrations at the Church of the Nativity, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)AP
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Catholic leader in the Holy Land, kicked off Christmas celebrations during the traditional procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, calling for “a Christmas full of light.”
“After two years of darkness, we need light,” Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said as he crossed the separation wall that divides Jerusalem from Bethlehem.
Arriving in Manger Square, Pizzaballa said he came bearing greetings from Gaza’s tiny Christian community, where he held a pre-Christmas Mass on Sunday. But among the devastation, he also saw a desire for life and to rebuild.
“We, all together, we decide to be the light, and the light of Bethlehem is the light of the world,” he told thousands of people, Christian and Muslim, who gathered in the square.
Despite Wednesday’s holiday cheer, the impact of the war in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is acute, especially in Bethlehem, where around 80% of the Muslim-majority city’s residents depend upon tourism-related businesses, according to the local government.
The vast majority of people celebrating Wednesday were local residents, with only a handful of foreigners mixed among the crowd.
But some residents said they are starting to see some small signs of change as domestic tourism slowly returns and hopefully will herald the return of international visitors the city depends on.