Palestinian children light candles in the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem December 24, 2008, before the annual Christmas procession.

The highlight was to be Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity, on the site where Jesus is believed to have been born.

Meanwhile, in Gaza City on Wednesday evening, the tiny Roman Catholic community held mass for Christmas.

The community decided to cancel the midnight mass and hold an evening one instead to protest the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.

About four thousand Christians, including about 300 Roman Catholics, live in Gaza. Most of the remaining Christians are Greek Orthodox.

(CCTV December 25, 2008)