Hamas chief set to start 1st foreign tour

CAIRO

Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh is set to go on a multi-leg foreign tour on Saturday, his first since he was elected leader of the Palestinian resistance group in 2017, according to a Palestinian source on Saturday.

Haniyeh is currently visiting Egypt for talks with Egyptian officials on a host of issues, including recent Israeli escalations in the Gaza Strip and truce understandings with Israel.

"The Hamas leader will visit a number of countries after receiving permission from Egyptian authorities," the source said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

According to the source, Haniyeh will visit Turkey, Malaysia, Russia, Qatar, Lebanon, Mauritania and Kuwait as part of his tour.

A delegation from Haniyeh's office has already arrived in Istanbul to prepare for his visit to Turkey, the source said.

Palestinians living in the blockaded Gaza Strip use the Cairo International Airport for overseas trips.

Since he was elected Hamas leader in mid-2017, Haniyeh visited Egypt several times and returned back to Gaza, without conducting any foreign tours.