Pastor Munther Isaac, the head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem and Beit Sahour, said Sunday that "If Jesus Christ were born today, he would be born under the rubble," referring to the destructive Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
During an event in Bethlehem on the Christmas even, he said: "What happened in Gaza is a genocide, and Palestinians will stand, as usual, and recover, but they will not accept apologies from those who participated in this genocide."
"This year, Christmas comes while death and destruction spread, and rubble covers our land."
"In Gaza today, Jesus is under the rubble and in the operating room," he added.
"Celebrating this year is difficult for us, our families, and our loved ones. Our people in Gaza are facing ethnic cleansing,'' he said noting that ''what is happening in Gaza is a genocide against the Palestinian people."
Palestinian Christians have decided to limit their Christmas celebrations to religious rituals due to the ongoing conflict.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least 20,424 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 54,036 others, according to local health authorities.
Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.
The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with half of the coastal territory's housing damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million people displaced within the densely-populated enclave amid shortages of food, clean water and medicines.
