IDF Warning to Gaza Grad Students

IDF warns south Gaza residents of impending response to Ashkelon rocket strike
By Yanir Yagana, Haaretz Correspondent, and The Associated Press

Residents of the southern Gaza town of Rafah said on Tuesday that they received telephone messages from the Israel Defense Forces warning them to leave their homes ahead of an impending airstrike. The town, on the frontier with Egypt, is a center for smuggling goods and weapons into the strip through tunnels under the border.

 

The recorded messages, in Arabic, said "people who work in tunnels, live near them or are giving logistical help to terrorists should evacuate the area immediately," residents said.

 

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have instructed the IDF to launch reprisal attacks against Hamas targets following Tuesday morning's Grad rocket attack in Ashkelon.
 
Israel warned on Tuesday that Hamas was "playing with fire" shortly after Gaza militants fired a Grad rocket into the coastal city of Ashkelon.

 

The Grad that struck Ashkelon was the first such rocket to be fired at the city since a cease-fire ended Israel's 22-day offensive in Gaza last month.

 

Three people were treated for shock after the attack, which also caused damage to property.