Christmas cheer returned to the traditional birthplace of Jesus Christ on Saturday as Bethlehem in the West Bank lit up a tree for the first time since the war in Gaza began over two years ago.

Covered in red and gold baubles, the Christmas tree standing meters away from the Church of the Nativity on Manger Square has become a symbol of hope.

At the end of a two-hour ceremony, the tree was illuminated to cheers, its yellow lights twinkling and a bright red star on top shining against the clouded night sky irradiated by a luminescent, almost full moon.

It is the first time the city has held the usual celebrations since the outbreak of the war in Gaza following Hamas’s onslaught in Israel on October 7, 2023.

“It’s a message for the world that it’s calm,” Mike Shahen, 43, said at his ceramic store on the square, after a handful of visitors came in for purchases.

Thousands of people attended, including Christians and Muslims, and many who traveled from throughout the West Bank and Israel — some from even further afield — to enjoy the festive spirit return.


An aerial photograph shows people gathering in Nativity Square during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, on December 6, 2025. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)

Nuns could be seen watching from one roof, while many families, including small children, filled balconies and roofs to catch a glimpse of the tree lit up.

Sounds of laughter filled the air as many could not help but smile despite moments of rain.

“This event didn’t happen for the last two years because of the war and it’s quite emotional after two years of nothing but war and death,” said 50-year-old Liyu Lu, who had traveled from northern Israel, close to the border with Lebanon.

Originally from China but now living in Israel for decades, she was with a group including Gary Lau, a traveling businessman and Christian staying in Jerusalem for the past couple of months.

“Being here, with the festivities, is something very nice and special,” Lau, 51, said, adding he was “taking in the atmosphere.”

For the past two years, Bethlehem has celebrated Christmas in a more sombre manner, with no major public festivities.

Tentative return

Christian pilgrims, especially from Asia, South America and eastern Europe, have, however, slowly returned in the past few months.

Fabien Safar, guide and director of Terra Dei, which organizes pilgrimages to the Holy Land, said a few small groups would come for Christmas this year and he already saw some bookings for 2026.

Safar expected a real recovery in 2027, but “this obviously depends on how the situation evolves” in Gaza and Lebanon.


People take pictures from a bell tower during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, on December 6, 2025. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)

While a November 2024 ceasefire was signed between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah after more than a year of fighting, Israel has kept up strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon that it says violate the truce.

Pilgrims “remain afraid because there’s no official end to the war” in Gaza, Safar said, adding they were also worried about the situation in Lebanon.

‘Worse than Covid’

It has all taken a toll on Bethlehem, which had only just cheered the return of tourists in 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic, before the war in Gaza broke out.

“COVID was bad but nothing like the last two years,” said Shahen from the ceramic store.

Tourism and religious pilgrims have long been a prime economic engine for Bethlehem. Around 80 percent of the Muslim-majority city’s residents live off it, according to the local government.

Those earnings ripple out to communities across the West Bank, a territory long marked by economic precarity.

“When we have 10,000 visitors and pilgrims sleeping in Bethlehem, that means the butcher is working, the supermarket is working and everybody is working,” said Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati. “There’s a ripple effect.”

That economic lifeline vanished when war broke out in Gaza. Bethlehem’s authorities canceled major Christmas celebrations during Israel’s subsequent devastating offensive in Gaza.

At the same time, Israel’s military scaled up operations in the West Bank, including communities near Bethlehem.

The unemployment rate in the city jumped from 14% to 65%, the mayor said. Poverty soared, and about 4,000 people left in search of work.


Children hold balloons in Nativity Square during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, on December 6, 2025. (Photo by JOHN WESSELS / AFP)

Now Bethlehem residents seek a comeback.

“The decision we took was to reignite the spirit of Christmas and to reignite hope,” the mayor said. “I think this sends a great message to the whole world that we Palestinians love life and we are eagerly looking forward to a peaceful solution.”

Some tourists return

In November, tourist visits to the city reached the highest since the war began, Canawati said, and reservations suggest that hotels will be at around 70% occupancy during Christmas.

Still, few of the hundreds of people gathered in Bethlehem’s square were foreign tourists, and residents said celebrations were nowhere near the size they used to be.

Many visitors spent hours on the road to reach Bethlehem, including musician Lu.

She woke up at 6 a.m. to catch a bus at 7 a.m. with a large group. They arrived at 12:30 p.m., she said, without any trouble.

West Bank resident Issa Montas, 29, said tensions in the territory have cast a pall over the holiday celebration.

While Bethlehem has long been a religious haven of relative calm, violence and military raids have been occurring regularly nearby. Israel’s military has said it is cracking down on terrorists in the West Bank and responding to aggression.

Military checkpoints have turned commutes into sometimes day-long endeavors. Montas, who paints homes in Jerusalem for a living, said he traveled six hours from his home in Ramallah, less than 20 miles (32 kilometers) away, just to reach Bethlehem.

Still, he expressed cautious hope on Saturday as children ran through packs of street vendors and a mix of Christmas and Arabic music floated over the crowds.

“This [celebration] is not just for us. It’s for everyone. Christian, Jewish, Muslims,” Montas said. “This Christmas is for everyone.”