A Palestinian family stands in a snow-covered area in Jerusalem on Thursday. — AFP photo

Jerusalem was transformed into a winter wonderland on Thursday after heavy overnight snowfall turned the Holy City and much of the region white, bringing hordes of excited children onto the streets.
As temperatures plummeted, the bitter winds and rain that have battered the Middle East since Sunday turned into snow, blanketing the Holy Land in white and closing schools and businesses.
As dawn broke, at least 10 centimetres of snow had settled in Jerusalem, which lies at an altitude of about 800 metres, giving its pine-covered hills the unusual aspect of a ski resort.
During the height of the snowfall, buses were cancelled, but service gradually resumed as the storm tapered off and the sun returned.
City officials asked residents to avoid driving and to use public transport.
Across the city, schools were closed for the day, with thousands of gleeful children — and no shortage of adults — taking to the streets to pelt each other with snowballs or to build snowmen.