On October 7th, several Hamas terrorist squads reached the outskirts of the city, which is located 8 miles (13 kilometers) from Gaza, but were eliminated by security forces before entering.

[6] In the wake of Operation Solomon, Netivot absorbed a large number of Ethiopian Jewish immigrants.

In 2011, Netivot hosted a robotics festival sponsored by the international organization FIRST - For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

[11] Netivot hosts the Yeshivat HaNegev, "the Yeshiva of the Negev", a Haredi institution headed as of October 2024[update] by Rabbi Aryeh Leib Levi,[12] with approximately 200 students.

It was founded in 1966 by Rabbi Issachar Meir, and was renamed Yeshivat Hanegev Shachar Shakir after him on his death.

[19] Three successful nightclubs have opened in Netivot which also draw clientele from out of town,[20] attracting young people from Ashkelon, Beersheba, Omer, Lehavim, Ofakim, and Sderot.

[21] In 2019, two new neighborhoods with a total of 3,600 housing units planned for Netivot were expected to double the city's population.

[23] There are 24 plants and factories located in a nearby industrial park, mostly in food processing, metals, plastics, and construction sectors.