Israeli police arrested a Palestinian man dressed as Santa Claus during a raid on a Christmas celebration in Haifa earlier this week, a local rights group has said.
Police forcibly dispersed festivities held by Palestinian Christian citizens of Israel in the Wadi Nisnas neighbourhood on Sunday and confiscated equipment from the event.
According to the Mossawa Centre, an organisation advocating for the rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel, police used excessive force while detaining the man dressed as Santa Claus, as well as a DJ and a street vendor.
All three were released on Monday but were expected to be summoned to court again.
Mossawa said police also raided a music institute without legal authorisation.
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Footage shared online showed Israeli police officers dragging the man dressed as Santa Claus from the scene.
Other videos appeared to show police interrupting a traditional dabke dance that was being performed in the street.
The Israeli police stormed the Wadi Al-Nasnas neighborhood in Haifa, shut down Christmas celebrations, beat people who were celebrating, and arrested several Palestinian/Arab Israeli Christians.pic.twitter.com/2jYfrGxXMK
— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) December 24, 2025
Israeli police said they were responding to “unusual noise and a disturbance of public order”.
The detainees told Mossawa they were assaulted during their arrest. One of them sustained a shoulder injury and sought medical treatment after his release.
In a statement, police alleged that the man dressed as Santa Claus resisted arrest and assaulted and verbally abused an officer.
Surge in anti-Christian crimes
The arrests come amid increasing harassment and restrictions on Palestinian Christians in Israel and the occupied territories.
Anti-Christian hate crimes carried out by ultra-nationalist Israelis have increased in recent years.
These have included trespassing at churches in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, spitting at churchgoers, the destruction of Christian symbols, and vandalism of Christian graves.
In the Gaza Strip, the small Christian minority has been subjected to Israeli bombardment targeting homes, schools and churches since October 2023.
Three historic churches – the Church of Saint Porphyrius, the Holy Family Church and the Gaza Baptist Church – have suffered severe damage.
At least 53 Christians have been killed directly or indirectly during the war, with many others wounded.
