Israel eases border restrictions

Israel has eased some border restrictions as part of its truce with the Palestinian territory's Hamas rulers, Gaza residents said today, allowing farmers to visit land near its security fence and letting fishermen head further out to sea. The Egyptian-brokered ceasefire ended eight days of cross-border fighting that claimed 166 Palestinian and six Israeli lives, according to health officials. As part of the deal, Israel and Hamas are now to negotiate a further easing of the Gaza border blockade, first imposed by Israel and Egypt after the Hamas takeover of Gaza in 2007. Also today, tens of thousands of Gaza children returned to school for the first time since fighting ended late Wednesday. About half of Gaza's 1.6 million people are children. In 245 UN-run schools, the day was dedicated to letting children share what they experienced, in hopes of helping them deal with trauma, educators said. In a sixth-grade class in Gaza City, boys eagerly raised their hands when asked by their science teacher to share their stories in the presence of a reporter. Mohammed Abu Sakr, 11, said that earlier this week, he witnessed an Israeli missile striking a car and engulfing it in flames. The boy...