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KIBBUTZ SAAD, Israel (AP) — Thousands of Israeli children in areas near the Gaza Strip have returned to school today. They had spent much of the summer in bomb shelters as rockets and mortars rained on their communities during the 50-day Israel-Hamas war.
In Gaza, meanwhile, schools are still closed as the territory recovers from the fighting.
There was a sense of joy and excitement as school resumed in communities in southern Israel that were scarred by rockets. But the signs of the fighting are still fresh. In the southern city of Ashdod, employees at a kindergarten that was hit by a rocket removed shrapnel marks off the walls and slides ahead of the students' arrival.
Israeli attacks damaged or destroyed thousands of homes in Gaza, and an estimated 250,000 people took refuge in more than 100 U.N. schools that were turned into makeshift shelters. With tens of thousands still in the shelters, officials last week delayed the start of the school year. A Gaza education official says classes are set to begin in two weeks.
At least 223 Gaza schools were hit in the fighting, including 25 that are too badly damaged to be used. Israel has accused Hamas of using civilian buildings such as schools for military purposes.
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APPHOTO CAINM101: Children hold hands during the first day of school in the costal city of Ashkelon, Monday, Sept. 1, 2014. Thousands of children in southern Israel return to school Monday after spending the summer vacation in bomb shelters taking cover from the thousands of Palestinian rockets and mortars fired from Gaza during 50 days of war. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov) (11 Jul 2014)
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