Middle East

Christmas in Bethlehem is somber due to the Israel-Hamas war

7:22am December 25, 2023

There are about 200,000 Palestinian Christians who live in and around Bethlehem, the Galilee region and Gaza. Usually crowds pack into Manger Square for celebrations but this year the mood is subdued.

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In solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, Bethlehem skips Christmas festivities

5:00am December 25, 2023

For how Palestinian Christians are navigating the Israel-Hamas war, NPR's Asma Khalid stays in touch with Rev. Munther Isaac in Bethlehem and Tamar Haddad in Jerusalem for updates.

Politics & Government

Morning news brief

5:00am December 25, 2023

by Asma Khalid

Church leaders in Bethlehem canceled Christmas celebrations due to the Israel-Hamas war. The Biden reelection campaign is already facing headwinds. Congress officially wrapped up 2023 business.

There will be only one decoration in Manger Square, Bethlehem — a nativity, destroyed

11:30am December 24, 2023

by Jason DeRose

Churches in Bethlehem are observing Christmas this year without the usual celebrations, eschewing giant trees, sparkling lights and festive carols.

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Volunteers work at a dairy farm near Nir Oz, one of the communities attacked on Oct. 7 by Hamas militants, in southern Israel on Wednesday. People from Israel and around the world have been rotating in to volunteer at the farm, helping fill the gap left by the workers who are no longer here.

World News

The Hamas attack left many Israeli farms abandoned — some worry forever

9:04am December 24, 2023

by Scott Neuman

In some of the farm communities hardest hit during the Oct. 7 attack, volunteers from Israel and around the world are arriving to fill the gap left by workers who are no longer there.

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Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip outside a morgue in Khan Younis on Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023.

World News

A weekend of combat in Gaza kills 14 Israeli soldiers, in sign of Hamas' entrenchment

8:00am December 24, 2023

by The Associated Press

Fourteen Israeli soldiers were killed in combat in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, the Israeli military said Sunday, a sign that Hamas is still putting up a fight despite weeks of brutal war.

Students Hannah Levitan, left, and Lindsay Ruhl launched The Tulane Hullabaloo's first student podcast in response to campus tensions over Israel's war in Gaza.

The war in Gaza is a big story on campus. These student reporters aren't shying away

11:17am December 23, 2023

by Aubri Juhasz

Tensions have been high on college campuses ever since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, and the resulting war in Gaza. For student journalists, it's likely the biggest story they've ever covered.

Palestinian farmers Naser El Khatib and Thaer El Taher stand on land filled with their olive trees at the edge of Beitunia, across from an area controlled by Israel in the occupied West Bank, on Dec. 2.

World News

In the West Bank, Palestinian olive farmers fear for the worst in this year's harvest

8:20am December 23, 2023

by Eleanor Beardsley

Usually at this time of year, Palestinian olive farmers in the West Bank are hard at work in their groves. But because of the war in Gaza, many have not been able to access their land.

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World News

As Gaza death toll surpasses 20,000, Israel says its offensive will continue

8:19am December 23, 2023

We hear the latest news out of Gaza, where an estimated 20,000 people have been killed since the start of the war on Oct. 7, and the need for humanitarian aid is dire.

Martin Luther King Jr. waves to supporters on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Activists marked 60 years since the march in 2023.

2023 was a year of big anniversaries

6:00am December 23, 2023

by James Doubek

In 2023, we marked 20 years since the Iraq War, 50 years since the birth of hip-hop, and 60 years since the JFK assassination. Here's a roundup of historical events we wrote about over the past year.