In the last 18 months of his life, Pope Francis had a frequent ritual: He would call the lone Catholic church in the Gaza Strip to see how people huddled inside were coping with a devastating war.

On Bethlehem's Manger Square, Christmas decorations and pilgrims ... they are going to face the gates and the checkpoints that Israel is putting around", Salman said. - 'Not Christmas as usual ...

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — The Nativity Store in Manger Square has sold handmade olive ... the third-generation owner of Nativity Store. Israel's war against Hamas has been raging for nearly ...

Bethlehem’s Manger Square in front of the Church of the Nativity is largely deserted, and souvenir shops are shuttered. Once again, there are no plans to put up the traditional lighted Christmas ...

Before his death, Pope Francis donated one of his popemobiles to be converted into a children's clinic in war-torn Gaza, ...

FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis arrives to celebrate mass in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity, believed by many to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem ...

Israel’s war against Hamas has resumed ... Bassem Giacaman, another carver who owns a store looking out directly over Bethlehem’s Manger Square, perks up when a customer enters his factory.

FILE - Pope Francis prays at Israel's separation barrier on his way to a mass in Manger Square next to the Church ... Christ in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Sunday, May 25, 2014.