BREAKING NEWS

White House welcomes looser hold on Gaza

WASHINGTON — The White House is welcoming Israel's decision to ease its blockade of the Gaza Strip.
President Barack Obama's chief spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said Israel's decision Thursday to allow all foods and some construction materials into the Gaza Strip was a "step in the right direction."
International pressure against the blockade mounted last month after the deadly raid on the <i>Mavi Marmara</i> in which nine people were killed.