The train station in Sderot. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Workers have started planting hundreds of trees along the train tracks leading from Asheklon to Sderot in southern Israel in an attempt to protect the trains and passengers on that line from rocket attacks, Israel Hayom reported.

After consulting with experts, Israel Railways and the country’s Defense Ministry decided to plant several hundred trees, a tactic that will conceal the railway cars without harming the environment.

In May, a Hamas video discovered by Israeli forces revealed that the new train line might be vulnerable to missile fire from Gaza. The video depicted detailed Palestinian surveillance of an Israeli passenger train from a distance of a few hundred meters away.

After security officials assessed the railway line and discovered that some sections of the track were exposed to rocket fire, a decision was made to suspend railway service on the line during Operation Protective Edge. The trains resumed running after the cease-fire was announced.