For the first time since Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza started in 2023, Palestinian Christians have gathered at Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity to celebrate Christmas.
After a long period of silence and darkness, Bethlehem’s mayor claims the city has chosen to resume its festivities.
Safaa Thalgieh, a mother from Bethlehem, told Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, “We can only pray that things get better. Our joy doesn’t mean people aren’t suffering, have lost their loved ones, or are desperate.”
Palestine: The place where Christianity first came from.
One of the oldest Christian denominations in the world is made up of Palestinian Christians.
Mary and Joseph traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born and enshrined. This location served as the site of the Church of the Nativity, and its grotto is of significant religious significance, drawing Christians from all over the world to Bethlehem every Christmas.
However, as shown on the map below, the separation wall, illegal settlements, and several checkpoints in Israel would make the trip very different today.
Christians in Palestine who are governed by Israeli rule
The number of Christians who once lived in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza is now less than 50 000, according to the 2017 census, accounting for about 1% of the population.
About 12% of the population were Christians at the beginning of the 20th century. However, Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank has strained communities, led to economic hardships, and deprived them of the conditions required for living on their land, leading to more families pursuing a more stable life abroad.
Between 47, 000 and 50, 000 Palestinian Christians reside in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, with an additional 1, 000 previously living in Gaza.
Three of the West Bank’s three main urban areas are where the Christian population is most concentrated:
- The largest concentration is concentrated in Bethlehem and the nearby towns of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour, in the province’s 22-mile-long governorate.
- Ramallah and El-Bireh (10, 000): A significant administrative and commercial hub with historic towns like Taybeh, Birzeit, and Jifna nearby.
- East Jerusalem (8, 000–10, 000) is primarily found in Beit Hanina and the Christian Quarter of Old City.
Palestinian Christians are subject to Israeli military rule, settler violence, and a discriminatory legal system, just like the rest of the Palestinian population.
Israeli attacks on Christians and churches
Christian communities and their churches have been the targets of numerous attacks by Israeli forces and members of the Israeli public throughout Palestine.
Through a volunteer-run incident hotline, the Religious Freedom Data Center (RFDC) has been monitoring violent against Christians.
The group documented at least 201 incidents of violence against Christians between January 2024 and September 2025, primarily committed by Orthodox Jews against international clergy or individuals who display Christian symbols.
These incidents range from verbal abuse, assaults, spitting to assaults, and more.
The Old City in occupied East Jerusalem, home to 137 of these incidents, was where they occurred the most.
Jerusalem, which includes many holy sites, is of profound significance to people of all faiths, including Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised again, is one of the most notable for Christians.
In the occupied West Bank, there was an alarming rise in targeted violence and land seizures in 2025.
In the predominantly Christian town of Beit Sahour, east of Bethlehem, Israeli settlers supported by the military bulldozed the site of the famous Ush al-Ghurab hilltop in November to build a new illegal settlement outpost.
In Taybeh, a town with a majority of Christians in the West Bank, arsonists targeted the historic St. George Church in July.
During a raid on the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of East Jerusalem, which has been repeatedly attacked, a group of Israelis were filmed attacking the Armenian Monastery and Christian holy sites in June.
Israeli forces have attacked a number of places of worship in Gaza, including churches.
Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war, according to an Open Doors report from early 2025, roughly 75% of Christian-owned homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed.
At least 18 displaced people, including children who were looking for shelter in the church, were killed when Israeli forces attacked Saint Porphyrius, Gaza’s oldest Greek Orthodox Church, on October 19, 2023.
The church, which was the country’s oldest active place of worship since 1150, had provided hundreds of civilians with a multi-faith sanctuary.
A father who is grieving for his three children’s deaths in the explosion told Al Jazeera. We sought refuge in a church because we believed it was our last safe haven. He referred to it as “the house of God.” They “bombed and killed my angels without warning” they said.
The only Roman Catholic church in Gaza, the Holy Family Church, has long been a refuge for the local Christian community.
A school inside the complex was partially destroyed by an air attack on November 4, 2023, which occurred inside the church compound. An Israeli tank shell struck the church in July 2025, killing three people and injuring several others.
Source: Aljazeera
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