Name: Christmas returns to a Gaza church scarred by war
Uploaded: 2025-12-10T21:25:28.774Z
Duration: 1 min 41 s
Description: In Gaza City’s Holy Family Church, young girls carefully place figures among the nativity scene, while a boy plays music near a Christmas tree decorated with festive lights.

In Gaza City’s Holy Family Church, young girls carefully place figures among the nativity scene, while a boy plays music near a Christmas tree decorated with festive lights.

Sderot

The U.S-brokered ceasefire deal in Gaza is holding, after Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages.

Middle East Conflict

Holy Family Church in Gaza City, marked by the devastation of two years of war, is celebrating Christmas with modest decorations and limited festivities under a fragile ceasefire. The church, Gaza's only Catholic church, has provided shelter to hundreds of Palestinians since the conflict began in October 2023.

Worshippers, including young people like Hilda Ayad, are attempting to find moments of joy despite significant losses and hardship. Church leaders have organized simple holiday activities for children, expressing hope that the ceasefire will hold and that the situation in Gaza will improve.

Christmas returns to a Gaza church scarred by war

Holy Family Church in Gaza City bears the scars of two years of brutal war, now alongside garlands, ribbons and twinkling lights. With a fragile ceasefire in place and Christmas approaching, the church holds a limited celebration that is, for worshippers, a reason itself to celebrate. Today, we are trying to decorate some things on our church, like the tree, some lights. Seventeen-year-old Hilda Ayad was among those gathered inside Gaza's sole Catholic church, which has sheltered hundreds of Palestinians since the war began in October 2023. We're trying to be happy from inside. After two years of war, we lost everything in the war, we lost our homes, we lost some of our family. It was a very, very bad days we live here inside the church. She said that last year there was no celebration. Israel's assault on Gaza has devastated the territory of some two million Palestinians. Last month, a reported death toll climbed above 70,000, according to health authorities in the enclave. The war began in October 2023 after a surprise attack on Israel by the Hamas group ruling Gaza in which around 1,200 were killed, according to Israeli tallies. George Antone, who runs the church's operations, said holiday activities include reenactments of nativity scenes and simple gifts for children. His aim was to help lift children, quote, out of the atmosphere that they have been living in for two years without understanding why they are living in this situation. He added that he hoped that during this holiday, quote, the situation will be resolved and a ceasefire will hold.

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Christmas returns to a Gaza church scarred by war

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