Catholic leaders in the Holy Land expressed cautious optimism this week that pilgrims will be able to return to the region ...

This remark followed news that Israel has continued bombing hospitals in Gaza and the West Bank, as others face imminent closure due to the war. Freezing temperatures are adding to an already ...

On top of the conflict in Gaza, people here have been struggling for 15 months without income, with restricted mobility, and no change in sight.” The streets of Bethlehem reflected this despair.

Palestinian scouts carry posters, one readig, "Peace for Gaza and its people," while they march during Christmas Eve celebrations at the Church of the Nativity, traditionally recognized by Christians ...

Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa leads the Christmas midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem marked a sombre Christmas for the second consecutive year in solidarity with Gaza, where the Israeli onslaught has killed 45,000 people in ...

BETHLEHEM, Palestinian Territories: Christians gathered at the Church of the Nativity in the holy city of Bethlehem on Tuesday to mark a solemn Christmas overshadowed by war, as Pope Francis led ...

The patriarch, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, told a crowd in Bethlehem he had just returned from Gaza, where he “saw everything destroyed, poverty, disaster”. “But I also saw life ...

Residents are leaving Bethlehem Since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip, the economy in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Bethlehem is located, has suffered a massive slump. Tourism ...

"This year we limited our joy," Bethlehem mayor Anton Salman told AFP ... told a small crowd on Tuesday that he had just returned from Gaza, where he "saw everything destroyed, poverty, disaster".

But like last year, Bethlehem's municipality had decided to opt for modest celebrations out of respect for Palestinians suffering in Gaza. Makhoul said it was still important for him to spend ...