Phoenix, Arizona - On Christmas Eve, Arizonans held a candlelight vigil in solidarity with Gazans under siege to demand a permanent ceasefire and a path to Palestinian liberation.

Arizonans gathered in Phoenix's Hance Park to raise their calls for peace through prayers, poems, and songs as the death toll in Gaza surpasses 20,600.

"I believe that we can't truly celebrate and honor Christmas without including in that being here to acknowledge the profound suffering and injustice, the catastrophe that is unfolding in Gaza, in Israel and Palestine, that our nation and that we are deeply connected to," progressive organizer Kai Newkirk told the crowd.

"I believe that we can't truly celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, in Bethlehem while the people of his home place are bearing this catastrophe of injustice, of suffering, of pain and death," he continued.

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"For the more secular-minded of us, we can't really celebrate the story of Santa Claus and his generosity to all the children of the world without including in some way honoring the fact that the children in Israel and Palestine and Gaza, many of them are wondering if they'll ever see their parents again or grieving those that they have lost, wondering if those that are held hostage or captive will return home, or in the case of the children in Gaza, are living through what is the most deadly conflict for children in the 21st century."

"How can we truly celebrate Christmas without acknowledging that truth and coming together to say that it must end, and it must end now?" Newkirk asked.

The action followed a series of No Christmas As Usual protests on December 23 in cities around the country. Participants rallied outside many commercial centers to call attention to the human rights crisis in Gaza.

In Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, many Christmas celebrations were canceled in light of the ongoing attacks against Palestinians.