August 14

A Jewish settler prays outside the synagogue in Jewish settlement of Shirat Hayam in the Gush Katif bloc of Jewish settlements, in the southern Gaza Strip, August 14, 2005. As they have done every year on the most solemn day on the Jewish calendar, Israeli settlers in the Gaza Strip fasted on Sunday in commemoration of Jews exiled in ancient times. But with the evacuation of occupied Gaza just days away, for many settlers this year's rituals of Tisha Be'av were more sombre than ever. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun