Pope Francis laments war in Holy Land on solemn Christmas Eve

Pope Francis celebrates Christmas Eve mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, December 24, 2023. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

CAIRO/GAZA/JERUSALEM — Pope Francis lamented war in the land of the birth of Jesus on Sunday, where Christmas Eve brought only fresh bloodshed and an intensification of fighting across the length of the Gaza Strip.

Hours before midnight tolled for Christmas in the Holy Land, Palestinian health officials reported at least 70 dead in an Israeli airstrike on central Gaza. The Israeli military spokesperson’s office said it was looking into the report.

Israel reported the highest two-day death toll for its troops in more than a month.

READ: Israeli air strike kills 70 Palestinians in Gaza refugee camp – execs

The head of the Islamic Jihad militant group joined talks in Cairo, one small sign at least that diplomacy remained alive.

But in Bethlehem, the Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank city where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born in a stable 2,000 years ago, clergy canceled traditional celebrations for the first time in memory.

“Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of arms that even today prevents him from finding room in the world,” Pope Francis said, presiding at Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

READ: Pope laments ‘famine of peace’ in Christmas message

Palestinian Christians earlier held a Christmas vigil in Bethlehem with candle-lit hymns and prayers for peace in Gaza instead of the usual celebrations.

There was no large tree, the usual centerpiece of Bethlehem’s Christmas celebrations. Nativity figurines in churches were placed amid rubble and barbed wire in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

READ: Pope Francis: Violence in Holy Land hurting chances for peace

In the latest massive airstrike, health ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qidra said at least 70 Palestinians were killed and several houses damaged in central Gaza’s Maghazi area on Sunday night. He said many were women and children.

Since a week-long truce collapsed at the start of the month, fighting has only intensified on the ground, with war spreading from the north of the Gaza Strip to the full length of the enclave.