Kiryat Shmona

2025-09-19T04:03:47Z

2600:4041:7A82:6D00:C03C:EF1C:A847:8061: /* History */

{{Infobox settlement
| name = Kiryat Shmona
| native_name = {{Lang|he|{{Script/Hebrew|קריית שמונה}}|rtl=yes}}
| settlement_type = [[List of cities in Israel|City]]
| translit_lang1 = Hebrew
| translit_lang1_type1 = [[ISO 259]]
| translit_lang1_info1 = Kiryat Šmona
| translit_lang1_type3 = Also spelled
| translit_lang1_info3 = Kiryat Shemona (official)
| image_skyline =
{{center|{{Photomontage
|photo1a = Qiryat Shemona 2007.JPG
|photo1b = Kiryat shmona 2006.jpg
|photo2a = Kiryat Shmona at Highway 90.jpg
|photo2b = Playground in upper Kiryat Shmona.JPG
|photo3e = KiryatShmonaPano.jpg
|photo4e =
|size = 280
|color = transparent
|border = 0
}}}}
| image_blank_emblem = Coat_of_arms_of_Kiryat_Shmona.png
| blank_emblem_type = Coat of arms
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map = Israel northeast#Israel
| pushpin_mapsize =
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_caption =
| coordinates = {{coord|33|12|27|N|35|34|11|E|region:IL|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = {{ISR}}
| subdivision_type1 =
| subdivision_name1 =
| subdivision_type2 = [[Districts of Israel|District]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Northern District (Israel)|Northern]]
| subdivision_type3 = Subdistrict
| subdivision_name3 = [[Safed Subdistrict|Safed]]
| established_title = Founded
| established_date = {{Start date and age|1949}}
| government_type = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–council]]
| governing_body = Municipality of Kiryat Shmona
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = [[:he:אביחי שטרן|Avihay Shtern]] {{small|([[Likud]])}}
| unit_pref = dunam
| area_total_dunam = {{formatnum:9960|R}}
| population_footnotes = {{Israel populations|reference}}
| population_total = {{Israel populations|Qiryat Shemona}}
| population_as_of = {{Israel populations|Year}}
| population_density_km2 = auto
| demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
| demographics1_footnotes = {{Israel populations|reference}}
| demographics1_title1 = [[Israeli Jews|Jews and others]]
| demographics1_info1 = 96.7%
| demographics1_title2 = [[Arab citizens of Israel|Arabs]]
| demographics1_info2 = 3.3%
| timezone1 = [[Israel Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +2
| timezone1_DST = [[Israel Summer Time|IDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST = +3
| postal_code_type = [[Postal codes in Israel|Postal code]]
| postal_code = 12100
| blank_name_sec1 = Name meaning
| blank_info_sec1 = City of the Eight
| website = [http://www.k-8.co.il/ k-8.co.il]
}}
'''Kiryat Shmona''' ({{langx|he|קריית שמונה||City of the Eight}}) is a city in the [[Northern District (Israel)|Northern District]] of [[Israel]] on the western slopes of the [[Hula Valley]] near the [[Lebanon|Lebanese]] border.

In {{Israel populations|Year}} it had a population of {{Israel populations|Qiryat Shemona}}.{{Israel populations|reference}} Located near the [[Blue Line (withdrawal line)|Israel–Lebanon border]], Kiryat Shmona is Israel's northernmost city.

==Etymology==
Kiryat Shmona was named after eight Jewish militiamen, commanded by [[Joseph Trumpeldor]], who had fallen in the 1920 [[Battle of Tel Hai]] during the [[Franco-Syrian War]] adjacent to the new town. It had originally been named '''Kiryat Yosef''' for Trumpeldor before the name was changed to Kiryat Shmona in June 1950.<ref name="Goldstein">{{cite journal |author=Goldstein |first=Amir |year=2016 |title=The kibbutz and the ma'abara (transit camp): The case of the Upper Galilee kibbutzim and Kiryat Shmona, 1949–1953 |journal=Journal of Israeli History |volume=35 |pages=17–37 |doi=10.1080/13531042.2016.1140878 |s2cid=147395057}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:112010 kiryat shmona general appearance PikiWiki Israel.jpg|thumb|Kiryat Shmona in 1955]]
Kiryat Shmona was established in 1949 on the site of the [[List of towns and villages depopulated during the 1947–1949 Palestine war|depopulated]] [[Palestinians|Palestinian Arab]] village of [[Al-Khalisa]],<ref name="ariel">{{Cite encyclopedia|author=Vilnai, Ze'ev|title=Kiryat Shmona|encyclopedia=Ariel Encyclopedia|volume=7|pages=7111–12|publisher=Am Oved|location=Israel|year=1979|language=he}}</ref> whose inhabitants had fled after [[Safed]] was taken by the [[Haganah]] during the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]] and an attempt by the village to come to an agreement with the Jewish authorities was rejected.<ref name="Morris">{{cite book |last1=Morris |first1=Benny |title=The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2004 |pages=250–251}}</ref>

Initially the empty houses of Al-Khalisa were used as a [[ma'abarot|transit camp]] for [[Aliyah|immigrants]] who worked mainly in farming. The first residents were fourteen [[Yemenite Jews]] who arrived on July 18, 1949, and were followed by more Yemenis a month later. By July 1951, the population had grown to nearly 4,000.<ref name=Goldstein /> Relationships with nearby [[kibbutz|kibbutzim]] were often strained.<ref name=Goldstein />

In 1953, Kiryat Shmona was declared a [[development town]].<ref name="hareuveni lexicon">{{Cite book|title=Lexicon of the Land of Israel|publisher=Miskal – Yedioth Ahronoth Books and Chemed Books|year=1999|author=HaReuveni, Immanuel|page=852|isbn=978-965-448-413-8|language=he}}</ref> In the first few years, growth was driven by the arrival of immigrants from [[Romanian Jews in Israel|Romania]], [[Indian Jews in Israel|India]], [[Iraqi Jews in Israel|Iraq]], and [[Iranian Jews in Israel|Iran]], as well as [[Kurdish Jews in Israel|Kurdish]] immigrants from the [[Iraqi Kurdistan|Iraqi]] and [[Iranian Kurdistan|Iranian]] areas of [[Kurdistan]]. However, later on, waves of immigrants from [[Maghrebi Jews|North Africa]], in particular from [[Moroccan Jews|Morocco]], arrived. The city was built without a master plan, but rather neighborhood by neighborhood as waves of immigrants arrived.

=== Security Incidents ===
[[File:Kiryat Shmona 1964.jpg|thumb|Kiryat Shmona in 1964]]
Kiryat Shmona's location in close proximity to the Lebanese border makes it a target for rocket fire cross-border attacks.

On April 11, 1974, the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command]] (PFLP-GC), sent three militants across the border from Lebanon to Kiryat Shmona. They killed eighteen residents of an apartment building, including many children, before being killed in an exchange of fire at the complex, which became known as the [[Kiryat Shmona massacre]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/time70s.html|publisher=[[Jewish Virtual Library]]|title=Modern Israel & the Diaspora (1970–1979)|access-date=September 29, 2008}}</ref>

The city continued to be the target of attacks, including [[Katyusha rocket launcher|Katyusha]] rocket attacks by the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO) in July 1981,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id113.htm|title=The Daily News – July 1981|publisher=The Eighties Club|access-date=September 29, 2008|archive-date=May 16, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516113608/http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id113.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> a Katyusha rocket attack by the PLO in March 1986 (killing a teacher and injuring four students and one adult),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/1ce874ab1832a53e852570bb006dfaf6/47b4f73f22caf46e8025647d004278c5!OpenDocument |title=Yearbook of the United Nations 1986 – Volume 40 |date=December 31, 1986 |publisher=[[United Nations]] |access-date=September 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424002827/http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/1ce874ab1832a53e852570bb006dfaf6/47b4f73f22caf46e8025647d004278c5%21OpenDocument |archive-date=April 24, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,961066,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051115160117/http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,961066,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 15, 2005|title=World Notes Middle East|publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time Magazine]]|date=April 7, 1986|access-date=September 29, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE7DC103BF93BA15750C0A960948260|title=New Rocket Casualties|work=New York Times|author=Friedman, Thomas L.|date=March 28, 1986|access-date=September 29, 2008}}</ref> and further Katyusha rocket attacks by [[Hezbollah]] during 1996's [[Operation Grapes of Wrath]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyguy.com/israel-lebanon_conflict.html|title=The History Guy: The Israel-Lebanon Conflict (1978–present)|access-date=September 29, 2008}}</ref>

On 24/25 June 1999 two residents were killed when Hezbollah fired a salvo of [[Katyusha rocket launcher|Katyusha]] rockets into the centre of Kiryat Shimona. They were the first fatalities in a cross border attack since 1995 and came during massive Israeli air strikes across Lebanon which caused $52 million damage and killed eleven Lebanese.<ref>Middle East International. No 603, 2 July 1999; Publishers [[Christopher Mayhew]]. [[Dennis Walters]]; Michael Jansen pp.4-5; Reinoud Leendes pp.5&7</ref> In spite of attacks from Lebanon, the population grew from 11,800 in 1972 to 15,100 in 1983.

In 2000–2006, the locals enjoyed relative peace but suffered from loud explosions every few weeks because of Hezbollah [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft cannons]] fired at [[Israeli Air Force]] (IAF) planes flying across the Israeli-Lebanese border.

==== During Hezbollah's wars on Israel ====
During the [[2006 Lebanon War]], the city was again the target of Katyusha rocket attacks. Most of the city's residents left the area during the war, and the 5,000 who remained stayed in bomb shelters, turning the city into a [[ghost town]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Slier |first=Paula |url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=28774 |title=An eerie silence in Kiryat Shmona |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=2006-07-20 |access-date=2013-03-26}}</ref> During the war, a total of 1,012 Katyusha rockets hit Kiryat Shmona.

In the beginning of the [[Gaza war]] in October 2023, the city was evacuated due to [[Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)|attacks]] by Hezbollah and [[Palestinian political violence|Palestinian factions]] from [[Southern Lebanon]].<ref>{{cite web|last= Cushing |first=Christopher |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-announces-evacuation-plan-kiryat-shmona-city-near-lebanese-border-defense-2023-10-20/ |title=Israel announces evacuation plan for Kiryat Shmona city near Lebanese border |work=Reuters |date=2023-10-20 |access-date=2023-11-23}}</ref> During the war, there were 129 siren alerts throughout the city: 13 in the first month<ref>7.10.2023 - 6.11.2023</ref> of the war, 15 in the second month,<ref>7.11.2023 - 6.12.2023</ref> and 18 in the third month.<ref>7.12.2023 - 6.1.2024</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Alerts in Kiryat Shmona, Israel's National Emergency Portal |url=https://www.oref.org.il/12481-en/Pakar.aspx}}</ref>

[[File:Kiryat Shmona destruction.jpg|thumb|Buildings in Kiryat Shmona after a [[Hezbollah]] [[Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)|attacks]] during the [[Gaza war]]]]
The city was significantly damaged due to Hezbollah missile attacks, with the attacks causing damage to infrastructure and fires that have decimated the nearby area. Nearly all of Kiryat Shmona's inhabitants were evacuated to other areas of Israel as part of the conflict, with about 2,000 residents remaining in the city as of July 2024.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Horn |first1=Allyson |last2=Halpern |first2=Orly |last3=Jones |first3=Haidarr |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-09/israel-lebanon-border-war-hezbollah-kiryat-shmona-gaza/104064914 |title=In the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, most residents have fled as the fear of war with Hezbollah takes hold |work=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date=2024-07-08 |access-date=2024-07-29}}</ref> Hezbollah attacks damaged 383 buildings and killed two people. In the aftermath of the [[Israeli invasion of Lebanon (2024–present)|Israeli invasion of Lebanon]] and subsequent ceasefire, residents began to return.<ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/residents-returning-to-israels-decimated-far-north-worry-their-neighbors-wont-come-home/ Residents returning to Israel’s decimated far north worry their neighbors won’t come home]</ref> However, as of late February, 2025, an estimated 80% of residents remained scattered across the country.<ref> [https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-kiryat-shmona-a-city-with-no-residents-holds-elections-with-no-voters/ City With No Residents Holds Elections]</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:View from Mitzpe Liran.jpg|thumb|View of Kiryat Shemona from [[Naftali Mountains]] in the [[Upper Galilee]]]]
Kiryat Shmona is located in the [[Galilee panhandle]] next to [[Hula Valley]], about {{convert|5|km|0|abbr=off}} south and {{convert|2|km|0|abbr=in}} east of the [[Blue Line (Lebanon)|Israel–Lebanon border]]. Its elevation is about {{convert|150|m|0|abbr=off}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]].<ref name="ariel" />

The city is located above the [[Dead Sea Transform]] [[Fault (geology)|fault]], and as a result, is one of the cities in Israel most at risk to [[earthquake]]s (along with [[Safed]], [[Beit She'an]], [[Tiberias]], and [[Eilat]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Avraham |first=Rachel |date=2013-10-22 |title=Experts Warn: Major Earthquake Could Hit Israel Any Time |url=https://unitedwithisrael.org/experts-warn-major-earthquake-could-hit-israel-any-time/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=United With Israel}}</ref>

===Climate===
Kiryat Shmona has a [[mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Csa'')<ref name="climate-data">{{cite web |title=Kiryat Shmona climate: Weather Kiryat Shmona & temperature by month |url=https://en.climate-data.org/asia/israel/north-district/kiryat-shmona-28716/ |website=en.climate-data.org}}</ref> with hot, dry summers and mildly cool and rainy winters.
{{Weather box
|location= Kiryat Shmona
|metric first= yes
|single line= yes
|Jan high C= 14.5
|Feb high C= 16
|Mar high C= 19
|Apr high C= 22.5
|May high C= 26.5
|Jun high C= 29.3
|Jul high C= 31.3
|Aug high C= 31.6
|Sep high C= 30.1
|Oct high C= 27.3
|Nov high C= 21.9
|Dec high C= 16.7
|Jan mean C= 9.4
|Feb mean C= 10.6
|Mar mean C= 13.3
|Apr mean C= 16.6
|May mean C= 20.5
|Jun mean C= 23.5
|Jul mean C= 25.4
|Aug mean C= 25.5
|Sep mean C= 24
|Oct mean C= 21.1
|Nov mean C= 15.7
|Dec mean C= 11.2
|Jan low C= 4.9
|Feb low C= 5.5
|Mar low C= 7.6
|Apr low C= 10.3
|May low C= 14
|Jun low C= 17.4
|Jul low C= 19.8
|Aug low C= 20.2
|Sep low C= 18.5
|Oct low C= 15.6
|Nov low C= 10.5
|Dec low C= 6.6
|Jan rain mm= 129
|Feb rain mm= 127
|Mar rain mm= 95
|Apr rain mm= 52
|May rain mm= 22
|Jun rain mm= 5
|Jul rain mm= 2
|Aug rain mm= 2
|Sep rain mm= 7
|Oct rain mm= 28
|Nov rain mm= 67
|Dec rain mm= 111
|Jan humidity= 75
|Feb humidity= 73
|Mar humidity= 68
|Apr humidity= 64
|May humidity= 59
|Jun humidity= 58
|Jul humidity= 61
|Aug humidity= 65
|Sep humidity= 63
|Oct humidity= 61
|Nov humidity= 61
|Dec humidity= 70
|source = Climate-Data.org <ref name="climate-data"/>
}}

==Demographics==
[[File:104678 the city of kiryat shmona in the upper galilee PikiWiki Israel.jpg|thumb|Neighborhood in Kiryat Shmona]]
According to [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]] (CBS), in 2001 the ethnic makeup of the city was 97.9% [[Israeli Jews|Jewish]] and other non-Arabs, without a significant [[Arab citizens of Israel|Arab]] population. In 2001 there were 121 immigrants. The Jewish population of the town is largely of [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardi]] and [[Mizrahi Jews|Mizrahi]] heritage, and many are industrial workers employed in local small industry and in neighboring [[kibbutz]]im. In 2022, 92.3 of the population was Jewish and 7.7% was counted as other.<ref>{{Cite web |title=קריית שמונה
|url=https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/publications/DocLib/2024/local_authorities22_1957/%D7%A7%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%99%D7%AA%20%D7%A9%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%94.pdf |access-date=15 July 2025 |website=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics|Central Bureau of Statistics]]}}</ref>

According to CBS, in 2001 there were 10,800 males and 10,700 females. The population of the city was spread out, with 33.5% 19 years of age or younger, 19.8% between 20 and 29, 19.3% between 30 and 44, 15.3% from 45 to 59, 3.5% from 60 to 64, and 8.5% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was 1.8%.

===Health===
{{Further|International Stress Prevention Center}}
Kiryat Shmona has an urgent care clinic with an emergency room that serves the city and nearby communities. It provides services in the areas of surgery, internal medicine, orthopedics, trauma, neurology, gynecology, and psychiatry.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ziv.org.il/?CategoryID=2455&ArticleID=4320 |title=Department of Emergency Medicine |access-date=2020-09-26 |archive-date=2014-08-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140804230605/http://www.ziv.org.il/?CategoryID=2455&ArticleID=4320 |url-status=dead }}</ref> There are also a few outpatient clinics located in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://maps.me/|title=MAPS.ME (MapsWithMe), detailed offline maps of the world for iPhone, iPad, Android|website=MAPS.ME (MapsWithMe), detailed offline maps of the world for iPhone, iPad, Android}}</ref>

===Education===
[[File:Tel Hai - College (2).jpg|thumb|[[Tel-Hai Academic College]]]]
According to CBS, there are 12 schools and 4,339 students in the city. They are spread out, as 9 elementary schools and 2,355 elementary school students, and 6 high schools and 1,984 high school students. 49.3% of 12th grade students were entitled to a [[Bagrut certificate|matriculation certificate]] in 2001. In 2023 the total number of students dropped to 3,767, and the percentage of students entitled to a matriculation certificate rose to 71.8%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=נתונים כלליים לרשות קרית שמונה לשנה"ל תשפ"ג |trans-title=General data regarding the Kiryat Shmona municipality for the school year of 2023 |url=https://shkifut.education.gov.il/city/28001 |website=שקיפות בחינוך |language=Hebrew}}</ref>

The [[Tel-Hai Academic College]] is a college located near kibbutz [[Kfar Giladi]] and north of Kiryat Shmona. The college offers academic and continuing education programs for approximately 4,500 students, 70 percent of whom come from outside the Galilee. Minorities comprise about 10 percent of the student body. The college offers degrees in life sciences, social sciences, computer science and the humanities.

[[Zephaniah Drori|Rabbi Zephaniah Drori]] serves as the Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Shmona as well as heading the [[:he:ישיבת ההסדר קריית שמונה|Kiryat Shmona Hesder Yeshivah]].

==Economy==
According to CBS, as of 2000, in the city there were 8,303 salaried workers and 467 are self-employed. The mean monthly wage in 2000 for a salaried worker in the city is 4,306 [[New Israeli Shekel|shekels]], a real change of 4.6% over the course of 2000. Salaried males have a mean monthly wage of 5,443 shekels (a real change of 7.1%) versus 3,065 shekels for females (a real change of −2.2%). The mean income for the self-employed is 6,769. There are 564 people who receive unemployment benefits and 1,655 people who receive an income guarantee.

The economy is based on consumer-oriented products such as communications, information technology, and electronics as well as agriculture on the surrounding lands and tourism.

==Tourism==
[[File:המסגד בפארק הזהב.jpg|thumb|Kiryat Shmona Museum, formerly the Al-Khalisa mosque]]
The town has a [[Aerial lift|cable car]] link with [[Manara, Israel|Manara]] above in the Naftali mountain range and also is home to an activity center and [[toboggan]] run located in the south of the town.

In the residential area there is an urban natural space called Park HaZahav. Zahav means "gold" in Hebrew; the park is named after the stream running through it, the Ein Zahav Stream. Park HaZahav covers 11 hectares in the middle of Kiryat Shmona. It comprises many diverse natural resources. In addition to intensive activity areas designated for leisure and play, and open to all, the park contains a diverse, protected, natural area comprising Ein Zahav Stream and HaTachanot Stream (Tachanot refers to two water mills [tachana=mill] which were active along this stream in the past), which flow through the middle of the park. These streams have created different aquatic habitats, including shallow sections, rapids, deep sections and pools that support diverse riparian vegetation that has developed with time into a riparian forest. This isn't common in Israel. The park has a trail that goes through the forest and along the stream. Included in the park are different gardening initiatives by local volunteers, a picnic area, and a playground.

==Sports==
[[File:Kiryat Shemona stadium.jpg|thumb|[[Kiryat Shmona Municipal Stadium|Kiryat Shmona Stadium]]]]
While Kiryat Shmona is one of the smaller cities in Israel, the local football club, [[Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona F.C.|Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona]] is a [[Israeli Premier League|top flight]]. It was formed formed by a merger of [[Hapoel Kiryat Shmona F.C.|Hapoel Kiryat Shmona]] and Maccabi Kiryat Shmona in 2000, the club won promotion to the top division for the first time at the end of the [[Liga Leumit 2006-07|2006–07 season]], and won the Israeli Premier League Championship in 2011–2012.

The town is home to one of the 14 Israel Tennis Centers (ITC). These Centers throughout Israel teach children life skills through tennis. The Centers are primarily funded through donations. The Israel Children's Centers in the United States, and the Canada Israel Children's Centres are largely responsible for the funding of the Tennis Centers, which strive to never turn a child away due to financial need.

==Transportation==
[[File:4X-OOO Moti Shvimer.jpg|thumb|[[Kiryat Shmona Airport]]]]
Kiryat Shmona is located at the junction of two major national highways, [[Highway 90 (Israel–Palestine)|Highway 90]] and [[Highway 99 (Golan Heights and Israel)|Highway 99]]. Kiryat Shmona is located near the Northern terminus of the North-South Highway 90. Highway 90, "Israel's longest road", connects [[Eilat]] in the extreme south of the Country, running along [[Jordan Valley]] and the [[Dead Sea]], running through the [[West Bank]], to Kiryat Shmona in the northern extreme. The highway terminates about 8 km further north, at the Lebanese border at the town of [[Metula]]. Highway 99, Israel's northern-most East-West Highway, starts from Kiryat Shmona and travels East, into the [[Golan Heights]]. The highway passes through [[Banias]], and connects to the [[Druze]] town of [[Mas'ade]]. The highway also serves an important tourist function, as it provides access for Israelis to winter sport facilities at the slopes of [[Mount Hermon]].

The [[Egged (company)|Egged Bus Company]] provides services along 26 inner city bus routes in Kiryat Shmona. Egged Bus Company, along with [[Nateev Express]], connect Kiryat Shmona to the surrounding Jewish and Arab localities. "Golan Public Transport" connects Kiryat Shmona to Jewish and Druze localities in the Golan Heights. [[Egged (company)|Egged Bus Company]] also provides long-distance services to cities such as [[Tel Aviv]] and [[Jerusalem]] in the center of the country.<ref>{{Cite web |title=המודיעין לתחבורה ציבורית בישראל |trans-title=List of Bus Lines Passing through Kiryat Shmona |url=https://www.bus.co.il/otobusimmvc/Lines/0/0/48367/%D7%A7%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%AA%20%D7%A9%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%94%D7%9B%D7%A8%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%90%D7%9C |access-date=May 30, 2022 |website=Buses |language=he}}</ref>

Currently, Kiryat Shmona is not served by [[Israel Railways]] or any other sort of rail transport. There is an approved project to extend the [[Railway to Karmiel|Acre-Karmiel]] passenger rail line to [[Safed]] and Kiryat Shmona. The finalized plan was submitted for review in June 2022. The rail line will connect Kiryat Shmona to [[Safed]] ([[Tzahar]]), [[Karmiel]], [[Haifa]], and further south to the economic and population core of the Country at [[Gush Dan]] (Greater [[Tel Aviv]]). The rail line project itself has been subject to criticism. One criticism involves accusation of discrimination in planning against [[Arab citizens of Israel]], specifically that despite being a rail line in the [[Galilee]], a region where more than half the population are Arab, no stations that will serve any of the Arab localities of the region is proposed.<ref name="Kiryat Shmona Rail Station">{{Cite news |last=Zagrizak |first=Asaf |date=2022-06-27 |title=אושרה מסילת הרכבת לקריית שמונה: למה התחנה מחוץ לעיר? |trans-title=The Railway to Kiryat Shmona Has Been Approved: Why the Station Will Be Built Outside the City? |url=https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001416233 |access-date=2024-09-25 |work=Globes |language=he}}</ref> Same situation exists along the existing [[Railway to Karmiel|Acre-Karmiel]] portion of the line.<ref name="Kiryat Shmona Rail Station"/> Furthermore, residents of Arab villages along the path of the railway line, specifically residents of the village of [[Nahf]], charge that the proposed route of the railway line to Kiryat Shmona will result either in confiscation, or in imposition of a construction ban on 10% of the land area of the village, a village that is overcrowded and has a limited development space as it is.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 15, 2022 |title=هیئت تحریر الجرمق. “‘خط سكة قطار في الجليل’..مخطط إسرائيلي يقضم ما يزيد عن 600 دونم من أراضي نحف.” الجرمق |trans-title='Railway line in the Galilee'...an Israeli scheme that gnaws at more than 600 dunums of Nahaf lands |url=https://aljarmaq.net/public/post/14493/%D8%AE%D8%B7-%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%A9-%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%B7-%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%B6%D9%85-%D9%85%D8%A7-%D9%8A%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%B9%D9%86-600-%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%86%D9%85-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B6%D9%8A-%D9%86%D8%AD%D9%81 |work=Al-Jarmaq News |language=ar}}</ref> In addition, there are also criticisms with respect to the proposed placement of Kiryat Shmona Train Station. The station is proposed to be located outside of the urban area of the city, along local road "9779". A large parking space is proposed for the station as well. However, critics state that the location of the station will force the residents to either continue to rely on their private vehicles, or to the inconvenience of waiting for urban bus lines as opposed to simply walking.<ref name="Kiryat Shmona Rail Station"/>

==Notable people==
[[File:Dudi Sela Israel tennis championship 2008 2.jpg|thumb|140px|right|[[Dudi Sela]]]]

* [[Vladislav Bykanov]] (born 1989), Olympic speed skater
* [[Zephaniah Drori]] (born 1937), Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Shmona
* [[Ido Kozikaro]] (born 1978), basketball player
* [[Dudi Sela]] (born 1985), tennis player
* [[Yifat Shasha-Biton]] (born 1973), educator and politician
* [[Artem Tsoglin]] (born 1997), pair skater
* [[Ofer Yaakobi]] (born 1961), basketball player
* [[Eden Ben Zaken]] (born 1994), singer and songwriter
* [[Ronald Zilberberg]] (born 1996), Olympic figure skater

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Israel}}
Kiryat Shmona is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:

*{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Hampstead, Quebec]], Canada
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Nancy, France|Nancy]], France
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Memmingen]], Germany
*{{flagicon|ISR}} [[Rishon LeZion]], Israel

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Kiryat Shmona}}
{{Wikivoyage|Kiryat Shmona}}
*{{Official website|http://www.k-8.co.il/}} {{in lang|he}}
*[http://www.govisitisrael.com/articlenav.php?id=206 Places To Visit in Kiryat Shmona] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240610153304/http://www.govisitisrael.com/articlenav.php?id=206 |date=2024-06-10 }} (English)

{{Northern District (Israel)}}
{{Largest Israeli cities}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in the Great Rift Valley]]
[[Category:Development towns]]
[[Category:1949 establishments in Israel]]
[[Category:Cities in Northern District (Israel)]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1949]]
[[Category:Moroccan-Jewish culture in Israel]]

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Kiryat Shmona