Sderot is a city in the Western Negev, Israel. It has a population of over 33,500 and is situated less than one kilometer from the border with the Gaza Strip. Sderot was originally founded in 1951 as a transit camp for Israeli immigrants, primarily from Kurdistan and Iran. The development town served as part of a chain of settlements designed to block infiltration from Gaza. Permanent housing was completed three years after the transit camp’s establishment in 1954. The town was named Sderot after the numerous avenues and standalone rows of trees planted in the Negev, especially between Beersheba and Gaza, to combat desertification and beautify the arid landscape. Like many other localities in the Negev, Sderot’s name has a green motif that symbolizes the motto “making the desert bloom”, a central part of Zionist ideology. The residents of Sderot have been targeted by Gazan terrorist rockets since the early 2000’s. Adapted from Wikipedia
