A priest walks by the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023.

In a city synonymous with the birth of Jesus, Christmas is typically a time when Bethlehem is full of visitors. But with war raging, the city's Christian leaders have canceled public celebrations.

The war in Gaza has prompted the city, traditionally seen as the birthplace of Jesus, to tone down its Christmas celebrations. By Yara Bayoumy and Samar Hazboun Reporting from Bethlehem in the ...

A priest walks by the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023.

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — The normally bustling biblical birthplace of Jesus resembled a ghost town on Sunday, as Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem were called off due to the Israel-Hamas war.

More than 5,000 Bethlehem residents work directly in the tourist industry, according to Israel’s Haaretz media outlet. With much of the city a ghost town, the busiest, most profitable time of ...

The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, celebrated Mass in Gaza City on Sunday. Omar al-Qataa / AFP via Getty Images “Bethlehem is the capital of Christmas.

Bethlehem City Council abruptly ended a meeting where people spoke for hours about a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Israel and Gaza.

People hold a giant Palestinian flag in Manger Square, near the Nativity Church, which is traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem ...

For two and a half thousand years, three reservoirs in Bethlehem’s hills, known as Solomon’s Pools, supplied both Bethlehem and the nearby city of Jerusalem.In December 1917, Welsh infantrymen ...

The city of Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, ... Israel's war against Hamas has been raging for nearly 15 months, ...

A group of local activists are pushing Allentown and Bethlehem city councils to join around 70 other municipalities nationwide that have passed resolutions calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. During ...