Welcome to the "Rocket Town" - bomb shelter capital of the world, which has been hit by over 28,000 Qassam rockets launched from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip over the last 10 years, Kobi Harush, the town's security chief tells visiting Indian media from the US days after the Egyptian brokered ceasefire.
This is but one theatre of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict that began with the creation of Israel in 1948. But its proximity to Gaza strip, from where Israel withdrew in 2005, has made it the prime target of attack particularly since Hamas, the hardline Palestinian Islamist movement, took over in 2007.
The latest eight-day conflict erupted Nov 14 with an Israeli air strike that killed the commander of Hamas's military wing, Ahmed Jabari.
