Christmas pilgrims flock to Bethlehem

Thousands of people made the Bethlehem Christmas pilgrimage after a gap of two years due to Cpvid restrictions.

It marked the return of Christmas tourism with large crowds at the Church of the Nativity.

It included the traditional procession through Bethlehem led by The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

Tens of thousands of visitors gathered for the procession.

Officials said all area hotels were fully booked although numbers were still lower than 2019.