by Sanaa Kamal

GAZA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Unlike previous years, Entisar al-Turuk, a Palestinian Orthodox Christian woman in the Gaza Strip, has to be home-bound this year to celebrate Christmas with her family, who gathered in front of the TV to watch the prayers rather than observing them at the church.

"I am feeling sad because we cannot go to the church. Nor can we get together with our relatives and friends to celebrate this holiday," the mother of three told Xinhua.

"On such days, all Christian families used to gather in a local church to greet each other. This year, however, all of us were prevented from this important feast," al-Turuk said, referring to the restrictions against the spread of the COVID-19 in the coastal enclave.

In a bid to liven up the atmosphere, her daughters, Noha and Mirna, decorated their house as if it were a hall used for great festivals.

"We might not be able to join bigger celebrations because of the coronavirus, but we can transfer the celebration to our house," Noha told Xinhua.

The 12-year-old girl said she and her siblings celebrated with their friends online and showed them the unique decorations of the house.

Meanwhile, her sister Mirna was filming their home celebrations and posted the videos on her Facebook account.

The 17-year-old teenager expressed her hope that the COVID-19 pandemic would end and people would be able to return to their normal lives.

"I wish I could visit the West Bank city of Bethlehem to join the Christmas celebrations," Mirna said, adding she will pray for humans to overcome the unprecedented crisis.

Adel Tarazy and his five-member family also celebrated Christmas inside their home.

"We were supposed to travel to Canada to join my siblings and uncles who left Gaza six years ago," Tarazy told Xinhua.

"We fixed and finished all procedures to leave Gaza, but the new strain of virus and its consequences stopped us from travelling," the 35-year-old said.

The Orthodox Christians in Gaza celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, after 44 days of fasting from all kinds of meats and their derivatives.

About 5,000 Christians, most of whom are Greek Orthodox, lived in the Gaza Strip when Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization signed Oslo peace accords in 1994.

However, their number dramatically declined because of the continuing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

Since Hamas violently seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, the number of Christians in the coastal enclave has fallen to about 900 amid threats from radical Sunni groups.

Those who left Gaza moved to the West Bank or Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia.

On Aug. 24, 2020, the Hamas-run authorities in Gaza announced the first four cases of COVID-19 and imposed a number of restrictive measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Since then, all churches, mosques, schools, markets and private institutions have been closed, and public gatherings prohibited.

Gaza has so far recorded 44,279 COVID-19 cases and 416 deaths. Enditem

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