Israel War Dampens Christmas Spirit in Lebanon

Sudan Events – Sumaya Sayed

In the Lebanese Christian border village of Qlayaa, the priest urged his parish to keep the Christmas spirit alive despite clashes between Hezbollah and Israel forcing many to flee.
Nestled among lush, green fields and flowing olive groves, Qlayaa has echoed to the sound of bombing on an almost daily basis since October 7.
“Of course, we are upset and bothered by the war… but we want to feel the joy of Christmas,” Father Pierre Rai told a dwindling number of parishioners in Qlayaa’s Maronite Saint George Church.
“So long as we have decided to remain in this village, and in other southern Lebanon border villages, we must live and enjoy each thing in its right time.”
For nearly three months, Israeli rockets have been falling close to Qlayaa, which lies less than five kilometres (three miles) from the border.
So far, however, the Christian villages in the area have been spared destruction.
Since hostilities began, more than 140 people have been killed on the Lebanese side, most of them Hezbollah fighters but also including more than a dozen civilians, three of them journalists.
On the Israeli side, at least four civilians and eight soldiers have been killed, according to officials. Despite the violence, the church has put up lights, a life-sized manger and is planning recitals and activities for the community’s children.
A massive Christmas tree decorated with red ornaments sits in the village’s empty square, with reindeer statues nearby.