An unusual silence fell over the streets of Zababdeh, a Palestinian village that is home to one of the biggest Christian communities in the occupied West Bank.

On any other Christmas Day, Palestinian Christians would have flocked from surrounding towns to enjoy the fairy lights and a festive market in the village of some 5,000 people.

But as the war rages in Gaza and violence also surges in the West Bank, the Christian community here is in no mood to celebrate Christmas on Monday.

Sadness over the war in Gaza subdued the holiday cheer in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, when the biblical town would usually be decked out in festive finery.

There was no revelry on Sunday, with few worshippers or tourists on the streets of the Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank, which according to Christian tradition was the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

Celebrations in the Holy Land have mostly been cancelled in solidarity with the people of Gaza, who are living through the deadliest war ever to engulf the besieged Palestinian territory.

Palestinians said they felt "no joy" this Christmas as Israel bombed Gaza on Monday, with no end in sight to the war that Hamas says has claimed more than 20,000 lives.

Festivities were effectively scrapped in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, revered as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, with few worshippers or tourists on the usually packed streets.

In the besieged Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run ministry of health said early Monday Israeli strikes had killed at least 18 people in the southern city of Khan Yunis, the centre of recent fighting.

Most residents have left Sderot, an Israeli town near Gaza, since war erupted with the Hamas attacks on October 7, but a reopened Jewish seminary hopes to bring life there back on course.

With the sound of outgoing artillery fire in the background, the study hall at the Sderot yeshiva -- less than five kilometres (three miles) from the besieged Gaza Strip -- is bustling with students.

"We want to be the guardians of the city, and we study the Torah here because that is the foundation of the Jewish nation," said rabbi David Fendel, director of the institution.

People donned Santa caps on beaches, ski slopes and streets around the globe on Monday to celebrate Christmas, as Pope Francis called for an end to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine that this year have cast a shadow over one of the world's favourite holidays.

Red and white Santa outfits appeared on surfers from Australia to Florida, on bicyclists in the smog-filled streets of New Delhi and intrepid souls braving chilly Channel waters for a holiday dip near Britain's Dover.

Pope Francis on Sunday kicked off global Christmas celebrations with a call for peace, as Israel's war on Hamas and Russia's invasion of Ukraine cast a shadow over one of the world's favourite holidays.

Children around the globe meanwhile tracked Santa, his reindeer and their present-laden sleigh with the help of www.noradsanta.org, a 3-D interactive website run annually by a joint US-Canadian military monitoring agency.

Pope Francis on Sunday appealed for peace as he kicked off Christmas celebrations with a mass at Saint Peter's Basilica as the Israel-Hamas war raged in the Gaza Strip.

"Tonight, our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of arms that even today prevents him from finding room in the world," the pope said to some 6,500 faithful who attended the traditional service.

Francis's address never mentioned Israel or Gaza by name, but he made numerous references to violence and war.

Palestinians held by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip had suffered torture, two freed detainees and a medic said Sunday, a charged denied by the military.

The two men were among hundreds detained by Israeli forces over alleged links with armed group Hamas during Israel's ongoing ground offensive in the besieged Hamas-run territory.

Israel vowed to defeat Hamas after a deadly attack by militants on October 7, launching a relentless military campaign in Gaza.

Protesters marched Sunday through Morocco's capital in support of Palestinians, calling for an end to the Israel-Hamas war which has killed thousands in the Gaza Strip.

The crowd in Rabat of about 10,000 people denounced what protest leaders called a "war of extermination" as well as the normalisation of relations between Morocco and Israel.

The protesters were called to the streets by a disparate group of organisations backing the Palestinian cause, including left-wingers and members the Islamist Justice and Charity movement.

A pall of gloom descended over Bethlehem on Christmas Eve as the Gaza war weighed heavily on the biblical city in the occupied West Bank and the usual crowds of pilgrims stayed away.

The traditional giant Christmas tree, marching bands and flamboyant nativity scene were all absent in the city celebrated as the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

While there were few festive lights, a huge Palestinian flag was unfolded in the centre of town and a banner declared that "The bells of Bethlehem ring for a ceasefire in Gaza".