Residents of the Gaza-Egyptian border city of Rafiah were warned Tuesday by automated calls from the IDF to flee their homes in advance of a planned air strike by Israeli pilots. The expected strike will be in response to a Grad rocket attack on Ashkelon by Gaza terrorists earlier in the day that left one woman suffering shrapnel wounds and three others severely traumatized. A city bus and several cars were also damaged in the attack, which occurred at around 7:00 a.m. Tuesday. According to local residents who received the calls, the recorded message, delivered in Arabic, said "People who work in tunnels, who live near them, or who are giving logistical assistance to terrorists, should evacuate the area immediately." Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the IDF to retaliate against Hamas and allied terrorist targets. Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned Tuesday morning during a visit to the IDF Northern Command army base that if terrorists in Gaza have not yet learned to respect the ceasefire through Israel's prior military actions, the IDF will do what is needed to reinforce the lesson. "If things are quiet, they will be accepted quietly," Barak said. "If another blow is needed, even if it is a harder one, it will come in the right form and at the right time," he added.
