Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneya left the Gaza Strip via Rafah border crossing on Thursday, embarking on a new regional tour, his office announced.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar and Interior Minister Said Siam accompany Haneya in his second regional tour that will take him to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and likely Jordan, said the office.

Haneya was invited by Jordan's King Abdullah II who tries to broker reconciliation between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Haneya.

The Jordanian move has ended a period of cold relations between the governing Hamas and Jordan over arms smuggling case.

Meanwhile, sources closed to the Hamas-led government revealed that a special plane, sent upon orders of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz, will pick up Haneya and his delegation from an Egyptian airport to Mecca where they will perform the Hajj (pilgrimage).

Unlike his first tour, Haneya's departure through Rafah gateway this time did not score any trouble.

The second tour came only two weeks after Haneya wrapped up his first tour abroad on Dec. 14 which had taken him to Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Syria, Iran and Sudan.

On his way back from his first regional tour, Haneya's convoy was under fire shortly after he entered Gaza via Rafah crossing. One of his bodyguard was killed and two others wounded in that incident.

Source: Xinhua