Catholic Christians in Gaza pray for peace during Christmas liturgy

By Mustafa M. M. Haboush, Ali Semerci

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Christians in the Gaza Strip, who have been enduring Israeli attacks since Oct. 7, conducted their night liturgy as part of the religious rituals accompanying Christmas according to the Western calendar.

The liturgy took place at the Holy Family Catholic Church within the Latin Monastery complex in the city center of Gaza on Monday.

This year's Christmas celebrations were "limited to religious rituals only," Antoine Ayyad, a Palestinian who participated in the night liturgy, told Anadolu.

Ayyad stressed that the birth of Jesus brought joy and happiness to them, but this year they experienced the greatest humanitarian catastrophe due to relentless Israeli attacks in which more than 20,000 people have been killed.

He expressed prayers for peace to come to Gaza and for an end to the ongoing conflict, which began after a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas.

Ayyad reminded that casualties were reported in Israeli army bombing at the St. Porphyrius Church in the Ez-Zeytun neighborhood in eastern Gaza City more than two months ago.

"Sorrow lives in our hearts, and we appeal to the world to help us escape the horror of this war," he added.

- Christmas without celebrations

Christian Palestinians in Gaza had established a tradition of erecting an artificial Christmas tree, decorating it, adorning churches, and distributing sweets at the Unknown Soldier’s Square in Gaza during these days each year.

However, this year, there is no Christmas tree in the squares and streets of Gaza that were damaged by Israeli armored vehicles.

The well-known St. Porphyrius Church in Gaza has also been partially destroyed due to Israeli bombardment.

This Christmas, which coincided with one of the nights when Israel launched its most intense attacks on the Gaza Strip, was limited to religious rituals without any celebrations.

Churches in occupied East Jerusalem announced there would be no celebrations due to the massacres committed by Israel in Gaza.

Nearly 1,000 Christians live in the Gaza Strip, with about 70% belonging to the Greek Orthodox denomination, which has a central church in the city of Jerusalem. The remaining Christians are affiliated with the Latin Catholic denomination.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz