As hundreds waited in line to catch a glimpse of the official lighting of the National Christmas tree, members of the group Christians for Ceasefire held a vigil for the tens of thousands killed in Gaza near the site of the tree lighting.

Dubbed the “Christ in the Rubble Advent Campaign”, organisers sang, prayed, and called on passersby to pay attention to the plight of the people of Gaza.

A symbolic display of the baby Jesus wrapped in a keffiyeh, placed among a heap of debris, laid at the heart of the group’s demonstration.

According to the website of the Friends of Sabeel North America, a partner organisation, “We must never forget that all the victims of this genocide are Christ in the rubble.”