It's Easter and one of the busiest times for the Old City, in East Jerusalem. But the war on Gaza has meant tourists have stayed away, and Israel is making it even more difficult for Palestinians who want to celebrate.

Jerusalem

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel is 'at war' following a surprise attack from Gaza by Hamas militants.

Israel-Gaza War

Easter celebrations in the Old City, located in occupied East Jerusalem, are experiencing diminished vibrancy due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The situation has deterred tourists from visiting one of the busiest times for the area. Added to this, Israeli restrictions have complicated the ability of Palestinians who wish to partake in the festivities, further affecting the overall mood and participation in traditional Easter events.



Easter festivities under shadow of Israeli restrictions

This is Easter in the land where Christianity was born. Israel's war on Gaza has impacted this important Christian holiday. Very few of the faithful, who travel from all over the world, have arrived this year to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the old city of occupied East Jerusalem. Fayyaz Dekak runs this family store selling religious souvenirs. The shop's open and he wipes away the dust ready for a day's trading, but he's not expecting to make any sales. He says the war is on everyone's minds. He's been here for 20 years and tells us the situation is far worse than he can remember. We've been feeling a lot more uncomfortable this time because there's the profiling. If you're passing by any gate, whether it's Damascus Gate, New Gate, Jaffa Gate, if the police officer or the soldier feels that you are not Israeli, you're stopped, you're checked. Most of the time it's not very pleasant either. Some of them are just straightforward, where are you from, let me say some ID. Some are a bit more violent. The economic impact is clear. Most shops aren't even bothering to open. But beyond dollars and shekels, there's another impact as well. Rafi is a Christian youth coordinator and says that Israeli settlers have made the old city an almost no-go zone for Christians. Even before the war started, we saw how was the settlers attacking the churches, even the cemeteries, the Christian cemeteries. They were attacking any priest or any nun who was walking inside Jerusalem. Even the pilgrims who are carrying the cross and walking the way of the cross, they were under attack by the Israeli settlers. The occupation is visible everywhere, but Israel has taken it a step further this year and effectively banned an entire group of Christians from celebrating Easter in the old city. Despite the lack of Christians from all over the world who would normally be here during this period, there is a community that is desperate to visit this place. That's Palestinians from the occupied West Bank. But Israel is restricting their access during this time to come even to the old city. They actually want to come, but Israel isn't allowing them. Both the Eastern and Western churches will celebrate Easter at different times in the next few weeks, but one thing unites them, and that's the lack of people coming to pray. But despite that, Easter is still a time for reflection and thought, and Israel's war on Gaza is at the forefront of that reflection and thought. Imran Khan, Al Jazeera, the Old City, occupied East Jerusalem.

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Israel-Gaza War