BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- For the past two Christmases, John Juka's family restaurant looked about the same as any business in Bethlehem: shuttered and eerily empty.

NOTE: The video is from a previous report.

But on Saturday evening, it bustled with families and was lit by strings of red lights, a hopeful change in the Palestinian city that's been reeling since war broke out in Gaza.

Christmas celebrations are slowly returning to the traditional birthplace of Jesus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Palestinians take part in a Christmas tree-lighting event in Manger Square ahead of Christmas in the West Bank city of Bethlehem Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean

While a shaky ceasefire holds in Gaza, Palestinians hope the festivities are a step toward a more peaceful f

See Full Page