Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
A belief that peace will come to Gaza and the war will finally end sustains a tiny group of Christians who remain in the north despite sustained Israeli bombings and a trickle of food supplies. Christmas celebrations will stay focused on Mass, with prayers for the end of the conflict as parishioners remember family and friends who died when Israeli strikes hit church buildings they believed were safe.
All Christmas celebrations were cancelled in Palestine last year after the war began. Muted festivities indoors for children have been planned this year by about 600 Christians who shelter in two churches in Gaza, out of respect for families who have lost everything in the devastating 14-month conflict.
Among them is a father who lost three children, aged between 12 to 14 years, and 12 relatives in an October 19, 2023, Israeli air strike on the centuries-old Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza, where hundreds of Christians and Muslims were sheltering.
"We believed the church to be a safe haven that would not be targeted. I lost three children who used to pray with me and visit religious sites,” said the man, 47, who asked not to be identified. “Our loss is immense.”
The children will not have a party, no Santa Claus, no gifts, only bombs. I tell people pray for life for us
Ibrahim Jahshan,
who shelters with his family in the Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza
He remembers previous “joyous” Christmas celebrations when his family helped to light up the church and visited friends and relatives. “The war has stripped us of all those experiences and left us with wounds and pain that time will never erase," the Gazan father said. "The holidays can never be the same, not this year, nor in any future.”
Gaza resident Ihab Ayad was in the church that day and can never forget the explosions that killed 17 people and injured dozens. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, Pope Francis and the World Council of Churches condemned the attack on a "sacred compound" that had offered sanctuary to 450 people.
“I survived but both Muslims and Christians lost loved ones,” Mr Ayad said. “This war has been catastrophic for all of us in Gaza. Everyone has faced death, bombardment, destruction and loss."
Mr Ayad recalls travelling with family to Bethlehem and visiting the holy sites during the holidays before the war broke out in October 2023. But 14 months into the bombardment and ground invasion by Israel, sparked by a Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, more than 45,300 Gazans are dead and 70 per cent of buildings demolished.
“This year will be limited to prayers and activities for children to provide some relief from the tragedies and harsh scenes they have witnessed during the war,” he said. “I hope by next year the war will be over, peace will prevail and everyone will be able to celebrate religious holidays without fear or terror."
Don’t forget us
The future appears bleak to Christian families who have split themselves between the Greek Orthodox and the Holy Family Catholic church located nearby to increase their chances of surviving Israeli bombing.
Ibrahim Jahshan lives with his wife and children in the Orthodox church while his brother and family have taken shelter in the Catholic church. He lost his mother, 77, due to a lack of medication to treat a stroke this year.
“The world has forgotten Gaza. We are still under attack. The children will not have a party, no Santa Claus, no gifts, only bombs,” he said. “I tell people don’t forget us in your prayers, pray for life for us. Life is very difficult. My children wanted clothes for Christmas but there is no money. How can we buy anything?”
The Christian community comprised 1,017 people before the war, according to registers kept by the Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches, but many fled after church buildings were struck by sniper attacks, bombs and Israeli shelling, killing 40 members. Several more parishioners have died due to a lack of medicine to treat strokes, heart attacks, pneumonia and common infections.
About 200 Christians and Muslims now live in the Greek Orthodox Church, and about 400 Christians shelter in school buildings in the nearby Holy Family church compound.
Only answer is peace
The clergy tried to inject optimism to lift the air of despondency and despair, with small celebrations for children and candlelight readings under a decorated Christmas tree in the days leading up to Christmas on December 25.
“We want this to be a Christmas of hope,” said Father Carlos Ferrero in the Holy Family Church, Gaza’s only Roman Catholic parish. “We will have a solemn Mass, it will be a quiet celebration. We raise our minds and hearts to God as he is our light and the only answer is peace.
“The reality is that people have lost hope but we cannot let hatred and resentment take over. We will continue to speak of the love of God and love of our neighbours.”
Much like the rest of Gaza reeling under food shortages and inhuman living conditions, groups of 20 share a room and mainly survive on canned food in the church compound.
A food and medicine aid package sent by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, intended to arrive in time for Christmas did not make it past Israeli checkpoints. The supplies and medicine are shared by people sheltering in both churches.
“We are surviving on flour, beans and a few tins of corned beef,” Father Ferrero said. “The supply sent by the Patriarchate had medicines, chocolates and sweets to cheer up the children but all we received was toilet paper and flour. It’s very sad not to receive even the medicines.”
Pope's daily calls give hope
In efforts to support the morale of parishioners, the head of the Roman Catholic church, Pope Francis, calls the Holy Family Church daily to pray with and check in on the Christians taking refuge.
“Imagine the Pope calling every day and asking, ‘How are you?’” Father Ferrero said. “Pope Francis calls every evening, except when he is travelling. He asks us to be strong and gives us blessings.”
Parishioners gather around a speaker that broadcasts the Pope’s voice. They greet him, ask for blessings on special occasions and pray with him.
“The Pope tells us to have faith, says the whole church is praying for peace. He is always encouraging us,” Father Ferrero said.
Pope Francis has repeatedly called for a ceasefire, condemning the "cruelty" of the bombings in Gaza. Calling for weapons to be silenced and Christmas carols to resound on all war fronts in Ukraine and the Holy Land in last Sunday's prayer, he said: “And with sorrow I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty; of the children machinegunned, the bombing of schools and hospitals … So much cruelty.”
This came a day after his annual Christmas address to the Holy See on Saturday when he denounced Israeli air strikes the day before that killed at least 25 Palestinians, including seven children from the same family.
“This is not war. This is cruelty,” the Pope said in a report on Vatican News. “I want to say this because it touches my heart.”
Baby Jesus under rubble
In the West Bank, one of the oldest Lutheran churches in Palestine continues to display a powerful Christmas message of a nativity scene with an infant Jesus surrounded by rubble. The scene put together for Christmas last year has not been taken down as it continues to reflect the devastation in Gaza.
A model of baby Jesus swaddled in a keffiyeh, the distinctively patterned Palestinian scarf, lies in a manger to capture the suffering of families in Gaza.
“Our people are still facing genocide in Gaza and so we will focus on prayer as the true meaning of Christmas,” said Rev Munther Isaac, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem. “We are sending a message of hope to our people because we believe resilience and hope go hand in hand.”
In the church built in the 19th century, a plant has been added to the nativity scene as a sign of survival. A small mirror added near the model of Jesus reflects people when they draw close to view the manger.
“The plant shows we still believe life will emerge from the rubble and this will not be our end as a people,” Rev Isaac said. “The mirrors shows our reflection as this is about our responsibility that we were not able to stop the genocide taking place. We want people this Christmas to think of what can they do to help."
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
Korean Film Festival 2019 line-up
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Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
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When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
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Find the right policy for you
Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.
Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.
Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.
Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.
If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.
Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.
Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”
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Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
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