Israel said it would release detainees taken from an aid flotilla to the Gaza Strip Monday, amid a mounting international outcry over claims it used excessive force in a raid that led to the deaths of nine activists. Israel’s decision came as Egypt moved to open its own border with Gaza, weakening the joint blockade that Israel was enforcing when it stopped a six-ship flotilla bound for the Palestinian territory early Monday. The Israel Defense Force said Tuesday that two more vessels were headed to Gaza in an attempt to run its blockade of the territory. A spokesman said Israeli forces were making preparations to prevent them from reaching shore. Adding to the tensions Tuesday, Israel’s air force met rocket fire from northern Gaza with an airstrike that killed three militants. source.

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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday will pledge about $300 million in U.S. humanitarian aid for the war-torn Gaza Strip, plus about $600 million in assistance to the Palestinian Authority, a U.S. official said Sunday.

State Department spokesman Robert A. Wood told reporters traveling with Clinton Sunday that she would announce the donations at an international pledging conference at this Red Sea resort. The conference is seeking money for Gaza and the Palestinian economy.

Obama administration officials had indicated last week that the U.S. was preparing to pledge $900 million in assistance for Gaza, but Wood’s description of the plan Sunday indicated that the only portion going directly to rebuilding Gaza was the $300 million. source.

Talk about wasting money, wasting American tax money to something that is worth less than GM stocks.

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