Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas is to head out on his first tour of Arab countries, including Syria and Iran, as part of a mission to garner support for his badly battered government, an official said Monday.

Haniyeh has not left the Gaza Strip, where he lives, since taking office in March, when international sanctions imposed on his Hamas-led government sent the Palestinian Authority spiraling toward bankruptcy.

Haniyeh's three-week tour, to begin Tuesday in Egypt, will include stops in Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Syria and Iran, an official in his office said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

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The prime minister will tell Arab leaders about conditions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as give an update on a day-old cease-fire that has brought an end to five months of Israeli-Palestinian fighting in Gaza.

Haniyeh is also expected to update Arab countries about ongoing talks to establish a unity government between Hamas and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party.