Israel authorised the release of $11 million in frozen Palestinian taxes on Sunday in a bid to ease a humanitarian crisis ahead of Ehud Olmert's first trip to Washington as prime minister. While both Israel and the United States are working to isolate the Hamas Islamists controlling the Palestinian government, the Jewish state has been under pressure to help avert the collapse of the Palestinian Authority. Israeli political sources made clear that none of the tax funds to be released would reach the Palestinian Authority. Israel plans to use the money to buy medical supplies based on advice of a foreign auditor and transfer them to Gaza hospitals. The $11 million to be freed up is part of $220 million in Palestinian tax and customs levies frozen by Israel to push Hamas to recognise the Jewish state, renounce violence and accept past peace accords.