Covid forces Gaza to close churches for Christmas

Churches in the besieged Gaza Strip have had to close their doors to worshippers during the Christmas holiday as the coastal enclave remains under lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“This year, because of the coronavirus pandemic, everything is done virtually via live streaming and prayer is performed at home,” Father Youssef Asaad of the Latin monastery in Gaza told MEMO, “so it is quite painful for everyone.”

“Every year we have a massive celebration and a lot of people turn up,” he continued. “We pray, dine together, give presents to the children and families and we just have a good time.”

READ: Occupied Palestine to enter lockdown as Gaza gets Covid-19 test kits from WHO

A Christmas tree outside of a church in Gaza, 24 December 2020 [Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor]

A worshipper praying inside a church in Gaza, 24 December 2020 [Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor]

Assistant Pastor Rev. Yousef Assad of the Catholic Church Of The Holy Land, Latin Parishes in Gaza, 24 December 2020 [Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor]

A Christmas tree outside of a church in Gaza, 24 December 2020 [Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor]

Christmas decorations on display outside a church in Gaza, 24 December 2020 [Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor]