'boulevards'; Arabic: سديروت, sometimes Romanized as "Sederot"[2]) is a western Negev city and former development town in the Southern District of Israel.

Between 2001 and 2008, rocket attacks on the city killed 13 people, wounded dozens, caused millions of dollars in damage and profoundly disrupted daily life.

The Israeli Negev Brigade had depopulated the area on which Sderot would be built on between the 2nd and 13th of May 1948, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, expelling the 422 Muslim farmers there who cultivated citrus, bananas and cereals from the Palestinian village of Najd.

The settlement initially housed 80 families and was originally called Gabim Dorot[9], before later being renamed Sderot, a symbolic nod to the numerous avenues of trees planted in the Negev to combat desertification and beautify the arid landscape.

Like many localities in the Negev, a green motif was chosen in keeping with the Zionist vision of "making the desert bloom.

Russian billionaire Arcadi Gaydamak organised a series of relief programs for residents unable to leave.

[citation needed] In a gesture of solidarity, El Al (Israel's national airline) named one of its Boeing 777 passenger planes Sderot (4X-ECE).

[24] In January 2008, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York organized a display of 4,200 red balloons outside the headquarters of the United Nations.

[27] Consul David Saranga, who conceptualized the display, said he used the balloons as an opportunity to call upon the international community to stop ignoring what's happening in Israel.

[29] In January 2008, British journalist Seth Freedman of The Guardian described Sderot as a city of near-deserted streets and empty malls and cafes.

[35] During the Gaza War in December 2008 and January 2009, between 50 and 60 rockets were fired at Sderot per week, causing about half the city's residents to temporarily evacuate.

By 2009, demand for apartments was outweighing supply, a new sports complex largely funded by donor aid had opened, a new shopping mall was being built, and the assistance that the city had received due to concern over the years of rocket fire meant that Sderot now had better community, educational, and recreational services than many other Negev development towns.

According to the lawyers, "The Canadian Boat's raison d'être is to aid and abet the terrorist organization that rules Gaza."

[50] Fighting continued through the night until security forces retook the police station, which was demolished in case more terrorists remained inside.

Early estimates stated that at least 20 civilians were killed as they were waiting at bus stops, walking down the street, and driving in their cars.

[59] In 2012, the government approved nearly $59 million worth of economic benefits for Sderot to strengthen the economy, boost employment and subsidize psycho-social programs for the city's residents.

[68] Well-known musicians from Sderot include Shlomo Bar, Kobi Oz, Haïm Ulliel and Smadar Levi.

The winner of the Israeli version of "American Idol" 2011 was Hagit Yaso, a local Sderot singer of Ethiopian origin.

[69] Her film Sderot: Rock in the Red Zone focuses on young musicians living under the daily threat of Qassams.