Bethlehem holds sombre vigil for Christmas in shadow of Gaza war | ABS-CBN News

Palestinian Christians held a sombre Christmas vigil in Bethlehem on Saturday, with candle-lit hymns and prayers for peace in Gaza instead of the usual festive celebrations at the spot where they believe Jesus Christ was born. Most years Bethlehem basks in the central place it holds in the Christian story of Jesus' life, born there in a stable because there was no room for his parents at the inn, and placed in an animal's manger, the humblest of all possible beds. Some 2,000 years later, pilgrims usually flock to the reputed location of that stable in Bethlehem's Byzantine-era Church of the Nativity, where most Christmases there are joyful displays of lights and trees in Manger Square. But with Israel's campaign in Gaza having killed more than 20,000 people according to health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave, the mostly Palestinian population of Bethlehem in the Occupied West Bank are in mourning too. Hamas says 200 killed in 24 hours of Israeli strikes on Gaza This year they decided to have no large tree, the usual centerpiece of Bethlehem's Christmas celebrations because of the carnage taking place only 50km away. And in place of the usual nativity scene, as Christians call the traditional display of figurines representing the holy family, Bethlehem churches this year placed the models amid rubble and razor wire in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Christians make up around 2 percent of the population across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian territories, according to Protecting Holy Land Christians, a campaign organized by the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, with a smaller proportion in Gaza. (Production: Sinan Abu Mayzer, Mustafa Abu Ganeyeh, Lara Afghani, Hyunyoung Yi)  For more latest news and analysis from ABS-CBN News videos, click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgyY1WylJUmirlKxlCckfVQAgc0Xg3uZ4 For more News Digital News Raw Cuts, click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgyY1WylJUmi83yKJH8Dv0p_3D4cyZKzV Subscribe to the ABS-CBN News channel! - http://bit.ly/TheABSCBNNews Watch the full episodes of TV Patrol on iWantTFC: http://bit.ly/TVPatrol-iWantTFC Visit our website at http://news.abs-cbn.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abscbnNEWS Twitter: https://twitter.com/abscbnnews #Exclusive #LatestNews #ABSCBNNews