Easter in Jerusalem in the shadow of suffering and suffering in gauze

Christians from all over the world have come to Jerusalem to celebrate Easter on Sunday for the second time overshadowed by the war in the Gaza and unrest on the West Bank.

The highest representative of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa led the Easter Mass at the Basilica of St. grave in the Christian district in Jerusalem’s old town.

« The empty grave of Christ is a sign and proof that we will see justice » and that peace will be confirmed, Pizzaballa said in his Easter sermon.

He expressed concern about « the possible further exacerbation of the political situation and the increasing humanitarian disaster that takes place, especially in Gaza. »

Photo: Dawoud Abu Alkas

On Holy Saturday, the pilgrims lit candles during the Easter Vigil in the Basilica of the Holy Tomb, at the place where Jesus was buried and stood up from the dead according to the Christian belief.

Christians make a small minority in the Holy Land and are about 180,000 in Israel, in East Jerusalem and the west coast of 50,000, and about 1000 in Gaza’s belt.

This year Easter falls on the same Sunday for Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox Christians.

Before the war broke out in the Gaza belt in October 2023, tens of thousands of pilgrims came to Jerusalem to mark Easter. But their number decreased drastically last year, but this one increased again.

More foreign visitors and many Arab Christians from East Jerusalem have come to celebrations this year.

Photo: Dawoud Abu Alkas

According to Ibrahim Faltas, a Franciscan priest and vicar of the Holy Land, Israel allowed only 6,000 Christians from the occupied West coast to the country this year to celebrate Easter.

Israel strictly limited visits from the west coast from the massacre, which was committed on October 7, 2023.