Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's political adviser, Yusef Rizka, said the Gaza leader would travel in the near future to Turkey, Bahrain, Qatar and Tunisia. He said the four nations all had invited Haniyeh to visit.

No date has been set.

Haniyeh has not left Gaza since the Hamas takeover due to tensions with neighboring Egypt, fighting with Israel and domestic issues. Hamas is considered a terrorist group by Israel and the West because of its attacks on Israelis, and its Gaza regime is not internationally recognized.

Egypt's new rulers have warmed up to Hamas since longtime President Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February.