Palestinian Christians, who make up 2% of the West Bank’s population, observed on Sunday a subdued Christmas Eve in Bethlehem as the town remained under tight surveillance. Since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza broke out on Oct 7, Bethlehem – a major Christian pilgrimage destination – has been cut off from the world at large. The town’s Christmas festivities were scrapped amid the ongoing conflict, leaving the usually vibrant streets with only a handful of worshippers and tourists. FRANCE 24’s Luke Shrago reports.
![‘Release my son’: Thai families plea for help for loved ones kidnapped in Israel](https://s.france24.com/media/display/07f645ec-6903-11ee-b43e-005056a90321/w:1280/p:16x9/m:{"brand":"FRANCE24","lang":"EN","program":"","cartouche":"ISRAEL%20-%20HAMAS%20WAR","hash":"ec7953fa999a94f81fe6e172c0f25eab6de8528fa5f77e865c2155962cffb4e3","title":"Families%20of%20Thai%20victims%20in%20anguish","id":"25aba80c-45fb-11ec-90e2-005056bf30b7"}/EN_20231012_141249_141457_CS.jpg "‘Release my son’: Thai families plea for help for loved ones kidnapped in Israel")