Information about the biblical Gath of the Philistines itself will be provided after this announcement.

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Gath or Gat, often referred to as Gath of the Philistines, was a major Philistine city and one of the five Philistine citystates during the Iron Age. It was located in northeastern Philistia, close to the border with Judah. Gath is often mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and its existence is confirmed by Egyptian inscriptions. Already of significance during the Bronze Age, the city is believed to be mentioned in the ElAmarna letters as Gimti/Gintu, ruled by the two Shuwardata and 'AbdiAshtarti. Another Gath, known as Gintikirmil (Gath of Carmel) also appears in the Amarna letters.

The site most favored as the location of Gath is the archaeological mound or tell known as Tell esSafi in Arabic and Tel Zafit in Hebrew (sometimes written Tel Tzafit), located inside Tel Zafit National Park, but a stone inscription disclosing the name of the city has yet to be discovered. Archaeologists believe it was the largest city of the Southern Levant during the 10th and 9th centuries BCE. Recent excavations have uncovered dramatic evidence of a siege and subsequent destruction of the site in the late 9th century BCE, which can be related to the biblical verse that mentions its capture by Hazael of Aram Damascus.

Gath is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as one of the five main Philistine cities (Joshua 13:3, 1 Samuel 5:7–10; 6:17). It was one of the last refuges of the Anakim in front of the conquering Israelites under Joshua (Joshua 11:22). Gath was either subdued during the days of prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 7:14), or by King David (1 Chronicles 18:1), although 1 Kings 2:3940 states that in the time of King Solomon it was still ruled by a Philistine king named Achish. King Achish is mentioned as the ruler of Gath for the times of Saul, David, and Solomon, making it uncertain whether this refers to two or more kings of the same name.

Gath was also the home city of the Philistine giant Goliath and his brothers, as well as of Itai HaGiti, one of King David's generals, and his 600 soldiers who aided the king in his exile from his son Absalom. David, while running from Saul, escaped to Gath, and served under its king Achish (1 Samuel 27:17). During Solomon's reign, Shemei went to Gath to recover his escaped slave (1 Kings 2:39–40). The city of Gath is also mentioned as being captured by Hazael of Aram Damascus (2 Kings 12:18).

The narrative in 1 Chronicles relates that Ezer and Elead, sons of Ephraim, were killed by men who were natives of Gath, because "they came down to take their livestock" (1 Chronicles 7:21).

Gath is named as one of 15 cities fortified by king Rehoboam, son of King Solomon, which were captured by Shishak, king of Egypt (2 Chronicles 11:8; 12:4).

Tell esSafi and Tel Zafit are Arabic and Hebrew names for the ancient mound now widely identified as Gath (variant: "Geth"), one of the five cities in the ancient Philistine Pentapolis (along with Gaza, Ekron, Ashkelon, and Ashdod). It is a large multiperiod site that is located in central Israel, approximately halfway between Jerusalem and Ashkelon, on the border between the southern Coastal Plain of Israel and the Judean foothills.

First noted by explorers in the mid19th century CE, and subsequently excavated in 1899 for three seasons by the American archaeologist F.J. Bliss and the Irish archaeologist R.A.S. Macalister. Extensive exploration of the site was not conducted until 1996, when a longterm project was commenced at the site, directed by Aren Maeir of BarIlan University, Israel. Since 1996, excavations, surveys and other studies have been conducted at the site, focusing on various cultures, periods and aspects relating to the site, its culture and history, and its surroundings.