٠٠:٠٤:٠٨The Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Syria's Aleppo set up a nativity display ahead of Christmas representing the damage the country has faced during the devastating earthquake earlier this year. The nativity scene also pays tribute to the children of Gaza who were killed in the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas.
"We wanted to convey a message that despite all the difficult situations and the darkness that we are living through whether in Aleppo due to the earthquake or this ongoing war and the children dying all over the world, there will be joy and salvation by the birth of Jesus," explained Nadine Khudari, a member of the Saint Francis Youth club which designed the nativity scene at the church.
Footage filmed on Friday shows locals attending divine service and watching the choir's performance. Footage also shows the large nativity scene with the traditional cave replaced with a collapsed building surrounded by rubble and farm animals. The display also features figurines representing children in Palestinian flags and keffiyehs as angels, rising above the building.
Earlier in this year's February, Syria and Turkey suffered from two 7.5+ magnitude earthquakes that claimed over 59,000 lives; 8,000 of which were in Syria.
"Through the display of the earthquake, we see that through disasters, tragedies and difficulties, the Lord is still born and able to give us salvation. So, the cave is designed as a destroyed building, yet it accommodates Jesus who is coming to life," stated Father Khokaz Mathroub of the Latin church.
The Saint Francis Church joins numerous other churches around the world who set up an unusual nativity scene in solidarity with Palestinians killed by Israeli forces.
"We symbolised the angles rising to the sky as the children of Gaza and Palestine who were killed. We've seen many children die in this war. That's why we wanted to represent the children who died as angels rising to the sky," the priest continued.
Yuhanna Younes, another member of the Saint Francis Youth club, added that the nativity scene he and other youth members worked on is intended to be 'an embodiment of peace all over the world and in the land from which Christ came out'.
Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200 according to Israeli officials.
Israel declared war on the group and a 'complete siege' of Gaza, with a large-scale campaign of air strikes. A ground incursion began at the end of the third week, with Israeli leaders vowing to 'wipe out' Hamas. Palestinian officials reported that at least 20,000 people had been killed and more than 53,000 injured at time of publication.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response. However, United Nations experts warned against 'collective punishment' for the people of Gaza, before predicting a 'humanitarian crisis' and then claimed that 'hell is settling in' for the region.
'There will be joy and salvation' - Latin Church of Aleppo sets up nativity scene display in solidarity with children of Gaza
The Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Syria's Aleppo set up a nativity display ahead of Christmas representing the damage the country has faced during the devastating earthquake earlier this year. The nativity scene also pays tribute to the children of Gaza who were killed in the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas.
"We wanted to convey a message that despite all the difficult situations and the darkness that we are living through whether in Aleppo due to the earthquake or this ongoing war and the children dying all over the world, there will be joy and salvation by the birth of Jesus," explained Nadine Khudari, a member of the Saint Francis Youth club which designed the nativity scene at the church.
Footage filmed on Friday shows locals attending divine service and watching the choir's performance. Footage also shows the large nativity scene with the traditional cave replaced with a collapsed building surrounded by rubble and farm animals. The display also features figurines representing children in Palestinian flags and keffiyehs as angels, rising above the building.
Earlier in this year's February, Syria and Turkey suffered from two 7.5+ magnitude earthquakes that claimed over 59,000 lives; 8,000 of which were in Syria.
"Through the display of the earthquake, we see that through disasters, tragedies and difficulties, the Lord is still born and able to give us salvation. So, the cave is designed as a destroyed building, yet it accommodates Jesus who is coming to life," stated Father Khokaz Mathroub of the Latin church.
The Saint Francis Church joins numerous other churches around the world who set up an unusual nativity scene in solidarity with Palestinians killed by Israeli forces.
"We symbolised the angles rising to the sky as the children of Gaza and Palestine who were killed. We've seen many children die in this war. That's why we wanted to represent the children who died as angels rising to the sky," the priest continued.
Yuhanna Younes, another member of the Saint Francis Youth club, added that the nativity scene he and other youth members worked on is intended to be 'an embodiment of peace all over the world and in the land from which Christ came out'.
Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200 according to Israeli officials.
Israel declared war on the group and a 'complete siege' of Gaza, with a large-scale campaign of air strikes. A ground incursion began at the end of the third week, with Israeli leaders vowing to 'wipe out' Hamas. Palestinian officials reported that at least 20,000 people had been killed and more than 53,000 injured at time of publication.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response. However, United Nations experts warned against 'collective punishment' for the people of Gaza, before predicting a 'humanitarian crisis' and then claimed that 'hell is settling in' for the region.
The Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Syria's Aleppo set up a nativity display ahead of Christmas representing the damage the country has faced during the devastating earthquake earlier this year. The nativity scene also pays tribute to the children of Gaza who were killed in the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas.
"We wanted to convey a message that despite all the difficult situations and the darkness that we are living through whether in Aleppo due to the earthquake or this ongoing war and the children dying all over the world, there will be joy and salvation by the birth of Jesus," explained Nadine Khudari, a member of the Saint Francis Youth club which designed the nativity scene at the church.
Footage filmed on Friday shows locals attending divine service and watching the choir's performance. Footage also shows the large nativity scene with the traditional cave replaced with a collapsed building surrounded by rubble and farm animals. The display also features figurines representing children in Palestinian flags and keffiyehs as angels, rising above the building.
Earlier in this year's February, Syria and Turkey suffered from two 7.5+ magnitude earthquakes that claimed over 59,000 lives; 8,000 of which were in Syria.
"Through the display of the earthquake, we see that through disasters, tragedies and difficulties, the Lord is still born and able to give us salvation. So, the cave is designed as a destroyed building, yet it accommodates Jesus who is coming to life," stated Father Khokaz Mathroub of the Latin church.
The Saint Francis Church joins numerous other churches around the world who set up an unusual nativity scene in solidarity with Palestinians killed by Israeli forces.
"We symbolised the angles rising to the sky as the children of Gaza and Palestine who were killed. We've seen many children die in this war. That's why we wanted to represent the children who died as angels rising to the sky," the priest continued.
Yuhanna Younes, another member of the Saint Francis Youth club, added that the nativity scene he and other youth members worked on is intended to be 'an embodiment of peace all over the world and in the land from which Christ came out'.
Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200 according to Israeli officials.
Israel declared war on the group and a 'complete siege' of Gaza, with a large-scale campaign of air strikes. A ground incursion began at the end of the third week, with Israeli leaders vowing to 'wipe out' Hamas. Palestinian officials reported that at least 20,000 people had been killed and more than 53,000 injured at time of publication.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response. However, United Nations experts warned against 'collective punishment' for the people of Gaza, before predicting a 'humanitarian crisis' and then claimed that 'hell is settling in' for the region.