Gaza Christians pray for end to 'death and destruction'

GAZA CITY, Dec 25 (AFP): Hundreds of Christians in war-ravaged Gaza City gathered at a church on Tuesday, praying for an end to the war that has devastated much of the Palestinian territory.
Gone were the sparkling lights, the festive decorations, and the towering Christmas tree that had graced Gaza City for decades.
The Square of the Unknown Soldier, once alive with the spirit of the season, now lay in ruins, reduced to rubble by relentless Israeli air strikes.
Amid the rubble, the faithful sought solace even as fighting continued to rage across the coastal strip on Tuesday.
"This Christmas carries the stench of death and destruction," said George al-Sayegh, who for weeks has sought refuge in the 12th century Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius.
"There is no joy, no festive spirit. We don't even know who will survive until the next holiday."
Pope's sombre message
in Christmas under
shadow of war
Christians across the world celebrated Christmas Wednesday, with the mood darkened by wars and a massive "inhumane" Christmas morning attack on Ukraine by Russia as well as a plane crash in Kazakhstan.
With the war in Gaza also showing no signs of ending, Pope Francis was also expected to call for peace in the Middle East during his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) speech at midday in Rome.
Francis used his Christmas Eve mass at the Vatican to urge Christians to think of "the wars, of the machine-gunned children, of the bombs on schools or hospitals" after another year of raging conflicts.
But even before dawn broke Moscow was pummelling Ukraine with 170 missiles and drones in an attempt to take out Ukraine's ravaged energy grid, killing at least one person.
"Putin deliberately chose Christmas to attack," President Zelensky said. "What could be more inhumane? More than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, and more than 100 attack drones. The target is our energy system".
Ukraine has been marking Christmas on December 25 for the past two years rather than on January 7 when most Orthodox believer celebrate as a snub to Russia.
There was tragedy also in Russia when an Azerbaijan Airlines jet carrying 67 people from Baku to the Chechen capital Grozny crashed in western Kazakhstan, officials said, though 25 survivors have been reported so far.