Christmas in Gaza is a celebration tempered by fear
For Nabil M., Gaza has changed from a place where 'religion has never been an issue,' to one where his wife and daughter are harangued on the street.
The Christmas tree is crooked and covered with dust. Before Najib M. (not his real name) can decorate the cypress in his family's living room in the center of Gaza City it has to be rinsed and wiped off. But finding a suitable tree is the smallest problem that Christians in the Gaza Strip face over their most important festival of the year.
“There is no future here for our children”, says Najib. His son has left for Europe, his eldest two daughters are studying in the West Bank and can not reach the family home either. “This year is our last chance to visit them because our youngest daughter turns 16 soon.”
As a “gesture of good will” the IDF has announced it will let 500 Christian Palestinians visit their families in Israel or the West Bank “for religious and family gatherings”.
But the arrangement excludes residents between 16 and 35 years of age.
