"The Church of the Nativity held midnight Mass on Thursday as Christmas celebrations resumed in Bethlehem after two years of muted festivities due to the war in Gaza. Footage shows the Christmas tree and festive decorations adorning the church's courtyard. Inside, worshippers packed the nave, where the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and all Holy Lands, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, led the ceremony. "I have to say that today I felt a very beautiful atmosphere in Bethlehem," the Patriarch said. "I felt after a long period the joy and the desire of life. I really felt today the feeling of Christmas, the spirit of Christmas." "I hope that all the world will see the other side of the Holy Land, which is not only conflict and war, but is also life and joy and commitment to life and joy - And Bethlehem was a beautiful example of this," he continued. Christmas festivities in Bethlehem returned this year after a two‑year suspension, following the implementation of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The ceasefire, effective on October 10, is part of a broader agreement between Hamas and Israel under the '20-point Trump Plan'. The plan entails an immediate cessation of fighting, the release of all hostages, both living and deceased, and the provision of humanitarian aid."