WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States plans to pledge more than $900 million (621 million pounds) to help rebuild Gaza after Israel’s invasion and strengthen the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, a U.S. official said on Monday.

The money will be channelled through U.N. and other bodies and will not be distributed via the militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to make the announcement next week at a Gaza donors conference in Egypt.