Palestine

After two years of darkness, the city where Jesus was born lit up once again for Christmas. During Midnight Mass, Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa reinterpreted the Gospel in light of the wounds of the Holy Land, in particular Gaza. He also highlighted the "great and real”" responsibility of bringing God's peace to the world. “Christmas does not distance us from history but profoundly engages”, the cardinal said.

This is what the Jerusalem Voice for Justice (JVJ) writes in their holiday message, whose members include Catholic Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Atallah Hanna, Lutheran Bishop Mounib Younan, and Jesuit Father David Neuhaus. Destruction and oppression cannot dampen the desire to celebrate. “We rejoice and celebrate, but with awareness and caution for every day we are exposed to the danger of death and war”.

The cardinal is visiting Christian communities in Gaza, ravaged by more than two years of war. Tomorrow, the traditional solemn Mass will be celebrated, with a focus on rebuilding and healing hearts. The patriarchs and heads of Christian Churches in Jerusalem have issued an appeal to Israeli authorities for Gaza’s sick children, asking for them to be cared for at the Augusta Victoria Hospital.

The parish priest of the Holy Family shares a video testimony of these days of Advent with AsiaNews. Life has ‘slightly improved’ after the ceasefire, but the war ‘continues’. The humanitarian emergency remains current in a climate ‘of great depression because there is no end in sight’. A tormented community that finds strength in faith and prayer.

Fr Bashar Fawadleh spoke to AsiaNews about a “fragile" security situation in the West Bank Christian town where life has been “seriously disrupted”. Despite this, the faithful attend services, and the Churches offer “unity and ecumenism”. The desire of some families to flee is offset by the show of faith and resilience of those who choose to stay each day. Yet, hope is seen as “something fragile and profound.”

Despite the ceasefire declared in Gaza, violence continues to engulf the region, not only in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, but also in Lebanon, where Israel recently bombed the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp, killing at least 13 people. Against this background, an ecumenical group of Palestinian Christian leaders spoke out on the recent UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which they deem insufficient and restrictive.

A report by the Haaretz newspaper revealed the involvement of Al-Majd Europe, an NGO with phoney headquarters, commissioned by Israel’s Voluntary Emigration Bureau and COGAT to organise departures from Gaza as part of a broader scheme to resettle Palestinians, who were unaware of their final destination. Previous flights also reached Indonesia and Malaysia via Romanian airlines.

Traditionally a moment of joy and sharing between generations, olive harvesting has collapsed due to the war between Hezbollah and Israel. The Israeli military, which launched fresh attacks in the area yesterday, is stifling any attempts at recovery and preventing the reconstruction of border villages and the regeneration of the land. Despite such difficulties, for farmers, the olive season is a way of affirming, “we still exist”.

The Jordanian scholar spoke to AsiaNews about the critical issues that have emerged after the "easier" step of getting the “living hostages” back to Israel. In fact, Hamas refuses to surrender its weapons, and the establishment of an international force to monitor the truce is stalled. Overcoming the “pattern of regional conflicts and tensions” is needed to create a “future of peace on a cultural, as well as economic basis.”

The population is “honoured” to have been chosen as the first destination of the pontiff's apostolic journey abroad, but it is also “exhausted”. From two years of war to attacks in southern Israel, many issues remain unresolved. Ortagus' mission for direct negotiations between the Jewish state and the Land of Cedars. The rift widens between Christians, Druze and Sunnis and the Shiite Hezbollah-Amal tandem.

In the climate opened up by the meeting in Egypt, the Lebanese head of state announced his willingness to hold talks with the Jewish state. However, he did not specify whether these would be direct or not. The similarities between the disarmament of Hezbollah and Hamas in Gaza. Hezbollah and Amal are looking to the May 2026 elections to maintain their leadership on the Shiite side. And they aim to block any agreement that may be unwelcome.

According to the US-based Gaza-born scholar, Hamas is seeking to "restore complete monopoly" over the territory and in weapons. To this end, it is “killing and torturing other Palestinians” on the pretext that they collaborated with Israel. A mission is needed "to enforce law and order” to “protect Palestinians”. Among the people he talks to in Gaza, “there's a sense of fear that we are going back to October 6th”.