In the 1950s, archaeologists found ruins at a nearby tell named Tel Erani and identified it as the Philistine city of Gath.

[3] This event cooled earlier enthusiasm for restoring biblical names more widely across the region.

[4] The location most favored for Gath now is Tel es-Safi, thirteen kilometers (8.1 miles) to the northeast.

[8] The population of Kiryat Gat rose from 4,400 inhabitants in 1958 to 17,000 in 1969, mostly Jewish immigrants from North Africa.

The economy was initially based on processing the agricultural produce of the Lachish region, such as cotton and wool.

[9] During the 1990s, the mass immigration of Soviet Jews to Israel brought many new residents to the town and its population grew to 42,500 by 1995.

[14] The headquarters and small-arms (guns) manufacturing facility of Israeli Weapons Industries is now located in Kiryat Gat.