A Palestinian man dressed as Santa Claus was arrested by Israeli police during a raid on a Christmas celebration in the northern city of Haifa, according to a Palestinian civil rights group. Officers shut down the event, confiscated sound equipment, and also detained a DJ and a street vendor.
Video footage circulating online shows police pushing the men to the ground and handcuffing them as onlookers watched. Israeli police said the man wearing the Santa costume resisted arrest and assaulted an officer. The Mossawa Center, which represents Palestinian citizens of Israel, disputed that account, saying police used excessive force and carried out the raid without proper legal authority.
Christmas across Israel, the occupied West Bank, and Gaza
The arrests came as Palestinians marked Christmas across Israel, the occupied West Bank, and Gaza amid ongoing restrictions linked to Israeli security measures. In Bethlehem, celebrations were held for the first time since the start of the war in Gaza, with worshippers attending mass at the Church of the Nativity and festive events returning to the city.
In Gaza, a small Christian community celebrated Christmas amid widespread destruction and humanitarian hardship, while Israeli military operations continued despite the holiday. Palestinian officials also reported settler attacks on olive groves and Israeli army raids on homes near Hebron during the same period.
Rights organizations say attacks targeting Christians and Christian property have increased over the past year. In his Christmas address, Pope Leo condemned the humanitarian situation in Gaza, comparing the biblical nativity story to the conditions faced by displaced Palestinians living in tents during winter.
Santa Claus arrested in Haifa:
<social>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnzH_vIdvKc</social>
Celebrations held in Bethlehem:
<social>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLqPikwd_Es</social>