Israel evacuates communities, bracing for possible Gazan retaliation

JERUSALEM, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Israel was on high alert on Tuesday as it prepared for retaliatory rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip after a series of Israeli airstrikes killed militants and civilians in the coastal Palestinian enclave.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that over 2,000 Israelis have been evacuated from communities near the enclave, as a precaution against possible rocket attacks launched by Gazan militants at nightfall.