Christmas cheer returned to the traditional birthplace of Jesus Christ on Saturday as Bethlehem in the Israeli occupied West Bank lit up a tree for the first time since the war in Gaza began over two years ago.
Covered in red and gold baubles, the Christmas tree standing metres away from the Church of the Nativity on Manger Square has become a symbol of hope.
At the end of a two-hour ceremony, the tree was illuminated to cheers, its yellow lights twinkling and a bright red star on top shining against the clouded night sky irradiated by a luminescent, almost full moon.
It is the first time the city has held the usual celebrations since the outbreak of the war in Gaza after the October 7 attack.
"It's like a symbol for resilience," said 27-year-old Abeer Shtaya, who works at Al-Zaytoonah University of Science and Technology in Salfit in the West Bank.
She had travelled 100 kilometres (60 miles) with a group of the university's students because "we want to celebrate and be with our brothers and sisters in Bethlehem to enjoy this day".
"It's a message for the world that it's calm," Mike Shahen, 43, said at his ceramic store on the square, after a handful of visitors came in for purchases.
Thousands of people attended, including Christians and Muslims, and many who travelled from Palestinian territories and Israel — some from even further afield — to enjoy the festive spirit return.
Nuns could be seen watching from one roof, while many families including small children filled balconies and roofs to catch a glimpse of the tree lit up.
Sounds of laughter filled the air as many could not help but smile despite moments of rain.
A man sells coffee in Nativity Square during the ceremony. Source: AFP / John Wessels
Originally from China but now living in Israel for decades, she was with a group including Gary Lau, a travelling businessman and Christian staying in Jerusalem for the past couple of months.
"Being here, with the festivities, is something very nice and special," Lau, 51, said, adding he was "taking in the atmosphere".
For the past two years, Bethlehem has celebrated Christmas in a more sombre manner, with no major public festivities.
Tentative return of Christian pilgrims
Christian pilgrims, especially from Asia, South America and eastern Europe have, however, slowly returned in the past few months.
Fabien Safar, guide and director of Terra Dei which organises pilgrimages to the Holy Land, said a few small groups would come for Christmas this year and he already saw some bookings for 2026.
Safar expected a real recovery in 2027 but "this obviously depends on how the situation evolves" in Gaza and Lebanon.
Despite a November 2024 ceasefire that was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and militant group Hezbollah, Israel has kept up strikes on Lebanon.
Pilgrims "remain afraid because there's no official end to the war" in Gaza, Safar said, adding they were also worried about the situation in Lebanon.
'Worse than Covid'
But it has all taken a toll on Bethlehem, which had only just cheered the return of tourists in 2022 after the Covid pandemic, before the war in Gaza broke out.
Bethlehem's economy relies almost completely on tourism.
"Covid was bad but nothing like the last two years," said Shahen from the ceramic store.
Many visitors from Israel and the Palestinian territories spent hours on the road to reach Bethlehem including musician Lu.
She woke up at 6am to get a bus at 7am with a large group. They arrived at 12:30pm, she said, without any trouble.
War isn't the only reason for Bethlehem's woes.
Since the 2023 Hamas attack, it is more difficult to travel around the West Bank with long queues on the roads with Israeli military checkpoints.
Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has also surged since the Gaza war. It has not stopped despite the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas that began this October.
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