Los Angeles Times' photographer Carolyn Cole has been reporting from inside Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity and LATimes.com has been posting audio interviews with her describing the scene.

A Church From the 4th Century and a Stalemate From the 21st
Inside the Church of the Nativity, candy bars are divided into 20 pieces. Crackers are broken into thirds. Occasionally, there is a meal--four macaroni noodles one day, a dozen spoonfuls of soup the next.

During particularly desperate days, some of the Palestinians venture into a courtyard behind the sanctuary to strip leaves from a lemon tree. They cook the leaves into chips that smell like burnt popcorn.

They sleep sporadically, mostly lined up against the walls and away from the windows, adhering even then to the principle that if you can see outside, someone on the outside can see you. The men wrap themselves in pink blankets that offer little protection from the cold stone floor.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-050902cole.story