Palm Sunday in the Middle East - in pictures

Christians in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza attended Mass to celebrate the traditional holiday marking the Sunday before Easter

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  A priest blesses a child from the back of a pick-up truck during Palm Sunday celebrations in Qlayaa, southern Lebanon. Reuters

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  People celebrate Palm Sunday during a mass held at the Lady of Damascus church, in the mostly Christian-populated Al Qassaa district, in Damascus, Syria. EPA

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  Mass at the Lady of Damascus church. Palm Sunday is a Christian celebration that falls on the Sunday before Easter. EPA

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  In most liturgical churches, Palm Sunday is celebrated by the blessing and distribution of palm branches. EPA

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  Priests lead the procession at the Lady of Damascus church. EPA

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  Sisters of Mother Teresa and other nuns arrive to attend the Palm Sunday mass at the Roman Catholic church of the Holy Family in Gaza City. AFP

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  Palestinian Christians attend the Palm Sunday mass at the Roman Catholic church of the Holy Family in Gaza City. AFP

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  A woman greets clergymen riding in a car as a priest roams around the area to bless devotees during Palm Sunday, in Qlayaa, southern Lebanon. Reuters

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  Lebanese Christians celebrate the traditional Palm Sunday procession as they walk in front of a Greek Catholic Church in the Museum area of Beirut. EPA

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  Boys attend Palm Sunday celebrations, outside a church in Damascus, Syria. Reuters

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  The Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family officiates at the Palm Sunday Mass, in Gaza City. AP

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