What do most Palestinians in Gaza have in their homes and how is it connected to the Ninth of Av fast?

The soldiers who wear the Temple patch and see the images of the Dome of the Rock are reminded daily of the real reason they are fighting in a three-year war that otherwise would seem to be unrelated to Jerusalem.

By Hezy Laing

What does Gaza have to do with Jerusalem?

Apparently quite a lot.

During the ongoing operations against the Hamas terror group in Gaza, IDF soldiers have reported a striking and recurring sight inside Arab homes: a picture of the Dome of the Rock, the Islamic shrine located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

While the pictures are meant to inspire Muslims, ironically, for many Jewish soldiers, they serve as a powerful and unexpected reminder of what they are fighting for—the connection of the Jewish people to Jerusalem and the ancient Jewish Temples.

One soldier recounted, “When I saw that picture on the wall, it hit me. They have a symbol of their claim to our holiest place. It made me realize that this fight is not just about territory; it is about our history and our future on the Temple Mount.”

Another soldier shared, “We are fighting in their tunnels and their homes, and they have pictures of the Dome of the Rock hanging up everywhere. It reminded me that we are fighting for the right to pray at the Kotel and to one day see the Temple rebuilt.”

A third soldier reflected, “Every time I see that image, I think of the Beit HaMikdash. It strengthens my resolve. We are not just soldiers; we are guardians of a 3,000-year-old dream.”

This sentiment is physically expressed through a popular item among troops: the “Mashiach” patch, which features a silhouette of the Jerusalem Temple paired with the Hebrew word for Messiah.

Since October 7th and the subsequent war, these patches have surged in popularity among IDF soldiers as a powerful symbol of heritage and faith.

One initiative, the Patch Project, distributes these patches to soldiers on the front lines as a “meaningful reminder of what we really fight for.”

The timing of these discoveries and the wearing of the patches is deeply resonant with the Jewish calendar.

Tisha B’Av, the “saddest day on the Jewish calendar,” is a 25-hour fast that commemorates the destruction of both the First Temple in 586 BCE and the Second Temple in 70 CE and marks the beginning of the 2000-year exile from the Land of Israel.

In 2026, Tisha B’Av begins at sundown on July 22.

The day is spent in mourning, fasting, and reading the Book of Lamentations, which recounts the prophet Jeremiah’s grief for the fallen city of Jerusalem.

The soldiers who wear the Temple patch and see the images of the Dome of the Rock are reminded daily of the real reason they are fighting in a three-year war that otherwise would seem to be unrelated to Jerusalem.

As one soldier put it, “On Tisha B’Av, we mourn what we lost. But here in Gaza, we are fighting to ensure we never lose it again. The patch on my shoulder is a promise.”

GazaJerusalemTemple Mounttisha b'av