Sadness over the war in Gaza subdued the holiday cheer in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, when the biblical town would usually be decked out in festive finery, AFP reports.

There was no revelry, with few worshippers or tourists on the streets of the Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank, which according to Christian tradition was the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

Celebrations in the Holy Land have mostly been cancelled in solidarity with the people of Gaza, who are living through the deadliest Israeli bombing ever to engulf the besieged Palestinian territory.

“A lot of people are dying for this land,” says Nicole Najjar, an 18-year-old student in the city’s deserted Manger Square.

“It’s really hard to celebrate while our people are dying.”

A work of art evoking the tragedy of the war has been installed on the ground opposite the Church of the Nativity, taking the place of the life-size nativity scene and colossal Christmas tree that would normally be there.