“The Jews have returned”. Israeli soldiers pray in an ancient synagogue in Gaza City

“For the first time in decades, Israeli soldiers prayed in an ancient synagogue in Gaza, which was built in the 6th century and where a beautiful mosaic floor depicting King David was uncovered years ago. The Jews have returned to Gaza!’ https://twitter.com/msfreund/status/1721975029850628104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1721975029850628104%7Ctwgr%5Eaf8b0c2028724bf1191b28f87557d0fad522e48a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2Fjudaism%2Farticle-772218 on social network X Michael Freund, founder of the non-governmental organization Shavei Yisrael (Returners of Israel), which encourages people of Jewish origin all over the world to return to their roots.

According to other claims on social media, Israeli soldiers were saying mincha, the Jewish afternoon prayer, in the synagogue. The Israeli army has not released photos or video footage to support this claim, but according to The Jerusalem Post website, this is in line with regulations that strictly limit the sharing of details about the ongoing fighting in the Gaza Strip.

The ancient synagogue in Gaza was founded around 508 during the Byzantine period, rediscovered in 1965. Once located in the busy port known as Majuma, it is now located in the seaside district of Gaza City called Rimal.

Egyptian archaeologists initially considered the find to be a church, but later a mosaic with an ancient Hebrew inscription depicting King David playing the lyre was found.

The remarkable mosaic measures 3 meters in height and 1.9 meters in width, but unfortunately David’s face was defaced shortly after its discovery. After Israeli troops entered the Gaza Strip in 1967, the mosaic was taken to Israel. It is now in a museum in the Jewish settlement of Ma’ale Adumim in the occupied West Bank, about seven kilometers east of Jerusalem.