Latin Patriarch of Palestine and Jordan Fuad Twal arrived at the Nativity Church in Bethlehem on Saturday, as thousands gathered to celebrate the annual Christmas mass.

"We ask the baby of Bethlehem to give us the peace we really need, peace in all the countries of the Middle East. We demand peace in the Holy Land," said Twal.

After greeting the crowd, he spent a short time in the church performing an annual blessing. Celebrations follow until midnight mass, which will be attended by senior clergy and government officials including the president.

Thousands of foreign pilgrims and Palestinian Christians, some in Santa hats, gathered at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity.

Loudspeakers blared carols in Arabic and a Palestinian cleric in a festive purple robe pleaded for peace in the Holy Land and in the wider Middle East.

Israeli and Palestinian officials said at least 50,000 visitors had arrived in the steep hillside town, and many were expected to attend midnight mass at the church in Manger Square, the place where Christians believe Christ was born.

"It's really hectic, but everybody is happy so it's really nice to be here," said Emily, a tourist from Denmark. "And, well, it's just so nice to experience everything with people who believe in the same thing."

The number of foreign visitors to Bethlehem has risen steadily in the past few years, encouraged by a decline in the violence that often marred the occasion in the past.

Maan News