When many people abroad think of Sderot, they picture sirens and safe rooms. But what you will see here today are families returning, new neighborhoods opening, and young people preparing for their future. This is the real story of Sderot after October 7.
Ninety-nine percent of Sderot’s 40,000 residents have returned home, and another 3,000 new residents have joined since that dark day. Entire neighborhoods are being inaugurated now. A new neighborhood of 1,800 homes has been completed and inaugurated, with approvals for another 6,000 units over the next five to six years, as part of our effort to double the city’s population. This is not an aspiration; it is a building plan, carried out under fire.
Growth is not just about housing; it’s about work and opportunity. Our industrial zones are expanding, and we are investing in hi-tech and mid-tech companies that create real jobs close to home. Together with Sapir Academic College, we are building pipelines for talent, and we are planning a School of Engineering and Technology right here in Sderot. The message to our youth is unmistakable: you can study here, build a career here, and raise a family here.
Some will ask: how can you speak of progress while the war still echoes? Sadly, we continue to face painful security events across the country — only today, a terrible attack in Jerusalem took innocent lives. I send my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims.
It is precisely against this backdrop that Sderot’s story matters. Resilience here is not a slogan; it is our way of life. For 25 years we have lived under the shadow of terror. The extraordinary thing about Sderot is not that we have survived, but that we have grown. The cranes and classrooms are our answer to those who would reduce us to fear.
But let us be clear: resilience alone is not enough. Hamas must be defeated. The hostages must come home. There must be a defensible security perimeter facing Gaza — including control of the Be’eri ridge, Nachal Oz, and Beit Hanoun heights — to ensure that children in Sderot begin their school day with a bell, not an alarm. And beyond Hamas, there must be new Palestinian leadership — leadership that enables life and development in the region, not destruction.
I am in Washington, D.C. this week for the MEAD conference to strengthen partnerships that turn courage into opportunity. Our gratitude goes first and foremost to the United States — and in particular to President Donald Trump and his administration — for their unequivocal support of Israel and the communities of the Gaza Envelope. We also acknowledge President Trump’s emigration plan for Gazans who choose a different future for themselves, as one pathway among many to stability. We thank as well the Government of Israel and the Prime Minister for the massive economic support through the Tekuma Plan, which is vital for the rebuilding of Sderot and the surrounding region. And in the same breath, we thank our philanthropic partners, without whom much of this progress would not have been possible.
Just last week, former Governor Mike Huckabee visited Sderot and expressed his clear, unwavering support for our city and for Israel. His solidarity, like that of many others who have come here, matters deeply to our residents. It also reminds us that America’s partnership, under President Trump and others who have stood with us, remains critical for our strength and future.
That is the heart of Sderot’s quiet revolution: we are no longer defined by what has been done to us, but by what we are building together. If you want to understand Israel’s resilience, come to Sderot. Walk our new neighborhoods. Meet our students and entrepreneurs. Hear the hum of factories and the laughter in kindergartens. This is what steadfastness looks like when it takes root.
Alon Davidi is the Mayor of Sderot.