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The town of Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem in the West Bank and the biblical birthplace of Jesus, has for the second consecutive year canceled Christmas festivities, amid the war in Gaza. 

Gone are the twinkling lights and giant tree that historically decorate Manger Square, as are the throngs of foreign tourists that usually fill the square, as part of the annual, major Christian pilgrimage, according to the Associated Press. 

Security forces in the Palestinian town have arranged barriers near the Nativity Church, built atop the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born, the wire service also reports. 

“Always the message of Bethlehem is a message of peace and hope,” Mayor Anton Salman said. “And these days, we are also sending our message to the world: peace and hope, but insisting that the world must work to end our suffering as Palestinian people.”

The war started almost immediately after the militant group Hamas, which rules the Palestinian territory of Gaza, launched a terror attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing a reported 1,200 people.