Sombre Christmas in Bethlehem an 'escape' from war for Palestinians

But for some, like Jerusalem resident Hisham Makhoul, spending Christmas in the holy city provided an "escape" from the Israel-Hamas war raging for more than 14 months in the Gaza Strip. "What we're going through is very difficult and we can't completely forget about it," said Makhoul of the plight of Palestinians in the besieged territory, which is separated from the West Bank by Israeli territory. "It's an escape... for a few days, a week or so, no more than this." In central Bethlehem, the Terra Sancta Scout Troop...