An abbey has broken from its traditional Christmas crib scene to highlight the suffering of children in Gaza and Israel.

Bricks signifying rubble have been placed inside and around the crib at Tewkesbury Abbey.

Rev Canon Nick Davies, vicar of Tewkesbury, said: “It seemed right to remember those affected by the conflict as we pray for peace this Christmas.

“I hope it will move people and get them to stop and think.”

The team at Tewkesbury Abbey were inspired to display the rubble crib after seeing an image of a church in Bethlehem which had created a similar scene with a baby doll representing Jesus lying amid a pile of stones.

Mr Davies said thousands of visitors passed through Tewkesbury Abbey every Christmas and there would be an opportunity for people to make donations to the British Red Cross.

“We’ve got rubble around the crib and we’ve got rubble in the crib making that bed where you would usually expect to see straw,” he said.

“That may seem a little bit of a shocking scene in some ways but for me the real shock is that there are children going to bed tonight in war zones, in bomb sites, in fear of missiles, and longing for peace.

“That’s what we wanted to try and remind people of here. We’ve all seen those scenes on TV and we want to try to bring that reality home to people here.”

This year marks the 800th anniversary of Saint Francis’ original nativity scene.

In Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry says more than 20,000 people have been killed and 54,000 injured since the war began. Most of the dead are women and children, Hamas says.

Israel says it takes steps to avoid civilian casualties, and blames Hamas for embedding itself in densely-populated areas.

The Israeli operation began after Hamas fighters crossed from Gaza into southern Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages.

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