Preparing to rebuild north

VIDEO - The ceasefire that went into effect Monday morning allowed northern Israel residents to finally emerge out of bomb shelters and come back home from their temporary stay in the center of the country. The IDF Home Front Command announced residents can return to routine, with the exception of gatherings, youth activities, and summer camps. However, the residents who came out of bomb shelters, some of them for the first time in many days, were forced to deal with the sights of destruction left by Hizbullah's rocket attacks. So far the government received more than 7,600 claims for compensation and Treasury officials are expecting more to come. In the northern town of Kiryat Shmona, 2,003 homes sustained damages along with more than 150 vehicles and dozens of public buildings, including schools, factories, businesses, synagogues, and kindergartens. In Safed the situation is similar, with at least 600 homes damaged and more than 100 cars hit by rockets. Despite the truce, Kiryat Shmona residents were not quick to leave their bomb shelters. The city slowly came back to life and some people were moving in the streets, but the sight of destruction at every corner is still dominant. One building displays the aftermath of a directly hit balcony, with shrapnel around an Israeli flag still fully intact. Damaged home in north (Photo: Hagai Aharon) Around the city, both new and old vehicles that turned into scrap can be seen, while a rocket that hit the Ceramics Center at the town's commercial center turned the store into debris. 'We won't believe Nasrallah until we'll have a few days of quiet' The situation was similar in Nahariya, a town hit by more than 800 rockets, which left three residents dead. Nahariya police commander Jamal Khakarush told Ynet that about 150 homes sustained direct hits while hundreds of other apartments were also damaged, along with dozens of businesses. "Dozens of vehicles were hit by shrapnel and some of them were burned," he said. Meanwhile, local resident David Almalich said: "We won't believe Nasrallah until we'll have a few days of quiet here. He's able to surprise." At another building, Eli and Rachel Ben Shimon were sitting outside with their son Or, 13, and their dog. "We spent most of the war in the bomb shelter. In my life I experienced the Six Day War, the War of Attrition, the Yom Kippur War and the Lebanon War, but this is the most terrible war I experienced," Rachel said. "All of Nahariya is a dangerous place but we're strong and didn't think of leaving even for a moment." Around 3:30 p.m. the municipal public address system informed residents that they may leave their bomb shelters. However, some locals said they intend to spend the night at the bomb shelter for fear of sudden Katyusha fire. "We miss the routine, the quiet, summer, our tourist town," one resident said. "The children's summer vacation was ruined, let's hope that what's left of it will be quiet and safe." Meanwhile, business owners in town said that as long as the peace remains they will reopen their stores Tuesday and Wednesday after they were closed for 34 days. By evening hours, many government appraisers could be seeing assessing damages around town. Officials in Nahariya hope to see all 56,000 residents back at home during the week and also hope that appraisers finish their work soon so that the town can again assume its place as the western Galilee's capital. Hagai Einav and Ahiya Raved contributed to the report

Preparing to rebuild north

(VIDEO) Is war over? Northern residents emerge out of bomb shelters, find ruined homes, burned up vehicles; more than 7,600 damages claims received so far, Treasury prepares for additional ones