RAMALLAH, West Bank - The biblical cities of Hebron and Bethlehem were blanketed in snow for the first time in years on Thursday after a rare winter storm.

Families built snowmen on the almost empty streets in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in what was the first snowfall many children had seen in their lives.

On the usually busy streets of Bethlehem, overlooked by the snow-adorned bell tower of the Church of the Nativity, few cars tried to navigate the fog and icy roads.

Schools and offices were closed across the West Bank and in Gaza, where storm waves crashed against the shore of an almost deserted beach.

(Reporting by Zainah El-Haroun; Editing by Alex Richardson) ((Zainah.El-Haroun@thomsonreuters.com;))