This Christmas really became the worst for Bethlehem.

A place known to be the birth place for Jesus, where Christmas has been celebrated much pomp and pride is now attacked.

Yesterday, christmas in the occupied West Bank began with an attack on the Jenin refugee camp and several arrests. The raid on Monday morning followed several others across the territory, which saw dozens of arrests and the shooting in the neck of a 17-year-old boy.

Among towns hit was Bethlehem. Jenin, commonly viewed as a symbol of Palestinian resistance to occupation, has been repeatedly targeted by Israeli forces since its war with Hamas in Gaza began.

On Monday, the Jenin-based Freedom Theatre, a popular symbol of peace and hope that was recently raided and vandalised by Israeli soldiers, described how Israeli forces lit up the sky “with flare bombs” whilst raiding the camp.