Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneya left the Gaza Strip on Tuesday for a regional tour which would take him to six Arab countries and Iran, said sources at his Hamas-led cabinet.

This is the first time Haneya went out Gaza for a visit since he took office after his Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) won the January legislative elections.

The sources at Haneya's office said that the premier would visit Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and finally Iran before he comes back to the Gaza Strip.

Haneya's convoy on Tuesday headed south from Gaza to the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, where he crossed the crossing after it was temporarily opened.

In Egypt, Haneya's first stop, Haneya would discuss a number of outstanding issues, mainly a prisoner swap deal involving the captured Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit and Palestinians held in Israeli jails as well as the obstacles that delayed the formation of a Palestinian unity government.

It was not clear how long Haneya would stay abroad, but if the Rafah crossing remains closed for a week or two, it would delay the announcement of a national unity government expected at the end of November, said observers.

Haneya, who is also a senior leader of the governing Hamas movement, has been barred by Israel to leave the Gaza Strip for several years and has never been out of the strip since taking office as prime minister in March.

His regional tour comes after a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant factions went into effect in the Gaza Strip on Sunday and the Israel Defense Forces pulled out troops from the strip overnight.

Source: Xinhua