[2][3] It is mentioned for the first time in the writings of Josephus, in his account of the attempt of Alexander Jannaeus to halt an invasion from the north led by Antiochus,[4] appears in the Talmud in connection to corn tithing and the Capharsaba sycamore fig tree.

[2] The Jewish moshava of Kfar Saba was established in 1898, following the purchase of land from the Arab village of the same name.

[5] Furthermore, the Ottoman pasha of Nablus, to whose governorate the land belonged, refused to give building permits, forcing the first settlers to live in huts made of clay and straw.

Despite attractive advertisements in Jerusalem and London, initial attempts to sell plots to private individuals were unsuccessful.

An Arab mob then descended on Kfar Saba, beating residents, breaking and looting equipment, and taking two Jewish guards prisoner.

This attack drew widespread public attention among Jews in Palestine and around the world, and it was subsequently decided to turn Kfar Saba into a permanent settlement, even without building permits.

[9]When World War I broke out in 1914, the Ottoman authorities harassed the residents, confiscating work animals and crops.

Before Kfar Saba had fully recovered, about a thousand Jewish refugees of the Tel Aviv and Jaffa deportation who were seeking shelter arrived.

The town's few houses could not accommodate the large number of refugees, and many died due to the harsh sanitary conditions.

During the 1921 Jaffa riots, Kfar Saba, then a small and isolated town, was evacuated on orders of the Haganah.

Following the war, it rapidly expanded as many Jewish immigrants from Arab and Muslim countries settled there, and new housing projects were built to accommodate them.

The town found itself at the narrowest point of Israeli territory, with just 14 km from the sea to the West Bank village of Qalqilya.

It expanded over the depopulated[16][17] Arab village of Kafr Saba, the site of which is today located in the Shikun Kaplan area of the city.

After receiving its city status, a court, a police branch, and offices of the National Insurance Institute and the Israel Tax Authority were established in Kfar Saba.

[citation needed] Kfar Saba is located just across the Green Line from the Palestinian city of Qalqilya.

During times of relative peace, residents of Kfar Saba would shop in Qalqilya: this practice ended at the start of the First Intifada in 1987.

In April 2001, a Palestinian suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt killed a doctor and wounded 50 at a bus stop in Kfar Saba.

[19] In March 2002, a Palestinian opened fire on passersby at a major intersection, killing an Israeli girl and wounding 16 before being shot dead.

[20] In April 2003, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up at the Kfar Saba train station during the morning rush hour, killing a security guard and wounding 10 bystanders.

[38] A Mamluk caravanserai complex, including the mausoleum of Nabi Yamin, is located by the Kfar Saba – Qalqilyah road.

[citation needed] A stone house on Tel Hai Street designed for defense (outlooks and sharp-shooting parapets) served as the communal dining room of Kibbutz HaKovesh.

The park includes kids playgrounds, water fountains, roller skate arena, fitness facilities, and shaded dining areas.

Located in the Kfar Saba's Municipality Center is the Eva Fischer Fund, which displays artworks about the Shoah given to the city by the Italian painter.

Remnants of an ancient Israelite village were discovered east of the city, and are believed to be the ruins of biblical Capharsaba.

In 2014, the Kfar Saba Municipality decided to oblige every contractor who wants to build in the city area to install "green roofs."

Kfar Saba was the primary filming location of FX's 2014-16 drama series Tyrant, which takes place in the fictional Arab country of Baladi.