Arab media is reporting that the Israeli government denied entry visas to about 260 Christians from Gaza to celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem. 

The report, first appearing in WAFA news, cited Kamel Ayyad, the director of public relations for the Gaza Greek Orthodox Church. Ayyad stated that the church had provided the Palestinian Civil Affairs Authority Israel with a list of names for 900 Christians. Only about 650 were approved. 

Most Greek Orthodox celebrate Christmas on or around January 6. Every year, Greek Orthodox Christians from Gaza apply for visas to enter Bethlehem for Christmas and Easter. This complaint arises every year. Exiting Gaza via the Erez crossing into Israel requires both an exit permit from Hamas and an entry permit from Israel. 

Last December, approximately 25,000 permits were issued by Israel allowing passage from Gaza to Israel. In October 2022, over 40,000 permits were granted.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, there are some 177,000 Christians in Israel, a growth of 1.5% from last year. But in Gaza, the Christian population has plummeted from about 3,000 a decade ago to an estimated 1,000 today, most of them Greek Orthodox. 

Hamas, a terrorist organization that is the elected government of Gaza, condemned Israel for the move. “The Zionist ban is a flagrant violation of the Christians’ rights to practice their religious rites, depriving them of their natural right to access places of worship,” Hamas said in a statement.

Israel has also refused visas and denied entry to the newly appointed personnel of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Occupied Territories. Gilad Erdan, the Israeli ambassador to the UN, said the government placed sanctions against UN employees who criticize Israel and speak out against Israeli policies.