Monks stand in the alley off Manger Square as Israeli soldiers continue their standoff with Palestinians inside the Church of the Nativity. (CAROLYN COLE / LAT)
Children of the town of Bethlehem gather at the barrier one block from the Church of the Nativity as Israeli soldiers set off smoke bombs to obscure the view of the church as two dead Palestinians are removed. (CAROLYN COLE / LAT)
Palestinian negotiators arrive at the Church of the Nativity. (CAROLYN COLE / LAT)
Israeli soldiers set off smoke bombs in the alleys surrounding the Church of the Nativity as the bodies of two dead Palestinians are removed from the church. (CAROLYN COLE / LAT)
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Israeli soldiers move around the Church of the Nativity. (CAROLYN COLE / LAT)
Some of the nine young men who left the Church of the Nativity carry the body of one of the two dead men brought out. (CAROLYN COLE / LAT)
Nine young Palestinians, wearing surgical masks, leave the Church of the Nativity. One of them, Abdulhay abu Srur, 17, said the church smelled horrible and had been badly damaged in firefights. (CAROLYN COLE / LAT)
