Southern Israelis cautiously prepare to head home

NAHAL OZ, Israel (AP) — With a cease-fire taking hold, residents of southern Israel slowly began trickling back Wednesday to hometowns that largely emptied out during a monthlong war against Hamas militants in the neighboring Gaza Strip.

But even with the military giving them the go-ahead to resume normal life many say they aren’t ready to come home — and may never return — after living through incessant rocket and mortar fire and attempted infiltrations through tunnels under border.