Tehran Times – Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays in the world. While it holds profound significance for Christians, millions of non-Christians also partake in the festivities, decorating their homes with Christmas trees. However, this year’s Christmas is marred by a vastly different ambiance compared to previous years.
Christians worldwide watch with trepidation as Palestine, hailed as the cradle of Christianity, navigates one of its bleakest chapters and the world’s oldest Christian community in the besieged Gaza Strip grapples with an existential threat, a grim reality wrought by the actions of the Israeli regime.
“We are one of the oldest Christian communities in the world and we face the threat of extinction,” said a Palestinian Christian who has endured the loss of several relatives amid Israel’s persistent bombing campaign against Gaza, as reported by Middle East Eye.
Before the onslaught launched by Israel on October 7, it was estimated that around 1000 Christians resided in Gaza. However, given the staggering toll of over 20,000 Palestinians killed during relentless Israeli assaults, it remains uncertain whether any members of the community, who are traceable back to the first century, have persevered.
Those who may have survived the Israeli attacks in Gaza are in no state to celebrate Christmas. Even seeking refuge in Gaza’s churches—safe havens under international law—provides no assurance of survival, let alone an opportunity to commemorate the birth of their revered prophet.
“I left my home and sought refuge in the church, believing it to be a secure sanctuary. My children slept within the premises. Suddenly, a missile from a warplane struck the building. I am still in disbelief that I lost my children. It feels like a never-ending nightmare. America and Israel took the lives of my children as they slept in a place of worship,” a Christian man who tragically lost his three children during an Israeli attack on Gaza’s oldest church, the Church of Saint Porphyrius, recounted in an interview with an American media outlet covering Palestine.
Another heartrending account emerged from the Gaza Strip in recent weeks, where two Christian women sheltering in Gaza’s Catholic church fell victim to an Israeli sniper’s fatal shots. “Nahida and her daughter Samar were shot and killed as they sought refuge on their way to the Sister’s Convent. One perished while attempting to save the other,” stated the Latin Patriarchate of al-Quds in a poignant announcement.
The deliberate killings by the Israeli military evoked an impassioned response from Pope Francis, who condemned the acts as “terrorism.” “This is what wars do. But here we have gone beyond wars. This is not war. This is terrorism,” voiced Pope Francis, expressing deep sorrow at the tragic events that are unfolding in Gaza.
A mere 73 kilometers from Gaza, the situation for Christians residing in Bethelem, the birthplace of Jesus, paints an equally distressing picture. Once comprising 86% of the city’s populace 70 years ago, Christians now confront a disconcerting exodus from their historic homeland. The solemn and subdued ambiance characterizing this year’s Christmas celebration evokes apprehension that Bethelem’s Christian population, now standing at a mere 18%, may continue to decline in the future.
While enduring oppression and persecution alongside their fellow Palestinian Muslims under Israeli settlers and the regime, Christians in the occupied territories have shifted their focus away from their own struggles and moved it toward the deepening crisis endured by their compatriots in Gaza.
In contrast to previous years’ joyous and luminous Christmas celebrations, Palestinian Christians in Bethelem have made the somber decision to cancel all festivities, including the unprecedented step of foregoing the customary lighting of Christmas trees—a departure from Palestine’s traditions since the Nakba of 1948.
“If Christ were to be born today,” lamented Reverend Munther Isaac, pastor of the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, “he would be born amid the rubble and Israeli shelling.
