Thousands of Israeli children in areas near the Gaza Strip went back to school Monday after spending the summer in bomb shelters as rockets and mortars rained on their communities during the 50-day Israel-Hamas war, while schools in Gaza remained shuttered as the territory recovered from the fighting. The start of school brought a sense of joy and excitement to rocket-scarred communities in southern Israel, but the signs of the fighting remained fresh. In the southern city of Ashdod, employees at the ‘Pashosh’ kindergarten, which was struck by a rocket, removed shrapnel marks off the walls and slides ahead of the students’ arrival. ‘We are a little scared but we are excited,’ said Ronit Bart, a resident and teacher of Kibbutz Saad.