What is the history of Sderot?

Sderot is a city located in the Southern District of Israel. It was founded in 1951 as a transit camp called Gabim Dorot for Israeli immigrants, primarily from Kurdistan and Iran, who numbered 80 families.

The development was located on the land of the Palestinian village of Najd, which was depopulated during 1948 Arab-Israeli War and served as part of a chain of settlements designed to block infiltration from Gaza.

Permanent housing was completed three years later, in 1954. The town was renamed Sderot after the Eucalyptus boulevard planted along the length of the town, whose planting provided employment to the residents of the settlement.

From the mid-1950s Moroccan Jews increasingly settled in the township. Romanian Jewish and Kurdish Jewish immigrants also began settling in Sderot. In 1956, Sderot was recognized as a local council.

Sderot’s history is marked by its proximity to the Gaza Strip, a region that has been a focal point of conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant groups. Since the early 2000s, Sderot has been a target of rocket attacks and mortar fire launched from the Gaza Strip by groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

These attacks have had a significant impact on the daily life of Sderot’s residents, leading to ongoing security concerns and psychological trauma