By Mucahit Aydemir
JERUSELAM (AA) - In the midst of Christmas festivities, Palestinian Christian theater artists in Jerusalem presented a poignant play portraying the birth of Jesus in contemporary Palestine.
This year, the joyous Christmas spirit is marred by the ongoing violence in Gaza perpetrated by Israel.
As the Christian world illuminates streets with festive decorations and cities sparkle during the holiday season, churches in Palestine are solemnly limiting Christmas celebrations to hymns and prayers, steering clear of extravagant festivities due to the Israeli massacres in Gaza.
The actors from the Al-Sabil Cultural Center, a Palestinian Christian group, delivered a powerful play called "Emmanuel" at the Notre Dame Theater in East Jerusalem, an area under occupation.
The play, entitled "Hope is Born from the Wreckage of Sorrows," narrates the birth of Jesus in the current conditions faced by Palestinians living in territories subjected to occupation and destruction.
Imad Atallah, the director of the play, told Anadolu that their portrayal aimed to depict the birth of Jesus Christ against the backdrop of the challenges faced by Palestinians today.
"We know that our Lord was born in a cave. We portrayed this cave in the atmosphere we are experiencing today,” he said.
“Our message to the whole world, with love and peace, is this: No matter what happens, we will stay in our land. We are the children of this homeland.”
The audience included church leaders from East Jerusalem and theater enthusiasts.
The Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Sebastia in Jerusalem, Atallah Hanna, took the opportunity to call for urgent action to halt the attacks in Gaza while extending Christmas greetings to the Christian world.
"We urge the world and all free people of the world to take action to stop this war urgently and effectively," he said.
Reflecting on the somber atmosphere of this year's Christmas, he added: "We pray to God for our people in Gaza who are exposed to these attacks. We ask Almighty God to enlighten the hearts, minds and consciences of the people in this world to quickly take action to stop this bloody and aggressive war, the cost of which is paid by the innocent people in Gaza."
Israel continues to bombard the Gaza Strip from the air and land in retaliation for an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has surged to 20,674, the Health Ministry in the territory said Monday.
Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra also said that 54,536 people had been injured in the months-long offensive.
Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.
The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with half of the coastal territory’s housing damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million people displaced within the densely populated enclave amid shortages of food and clean water.