Palestinian President: Our People Are Facing "Genocide"

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stated on Tuesday that "the Palestinian people are experiencing unprecedented genocide," following the killing of approximately 20,000 people in Gaza and 290 in the West Bank since October 7. Abbas said, "These days we are celebrating the joyous Christmas, while our Palestinian people are facing barbaric aggression and unprecedented genocide throughout the homeland, in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem." He added, "We congratulate our Palestinian people and the members of the Christian churches that follow the Western calendar, especially, on the arrival of these blessed holidays, which we hope will come with the cessation of the aggression and the (cessation) of the violation of Palestinian blood, so that peace may prevail in the land of peace." The Christian denominations in the Palestinian territories announced the cancellation of all Christmas celebrations, including the lighting of the Christmas tree, due to the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic resistance movement (Hamas) in Gaza.