Officials from the Hamas militant group's political wing says its exiled leader will set foot on Gaza Strip soil for the first time in 45 years on Friday.

Khaled Meshaal has not visited the Palestinian territories since leaving the Israeli-occupied West Bank after the 1967 Six-Day War.

Officials say Meshaal will celebrate the Hamas movement's 25th anniversary on Saturday during his trip to the Palestinian enclave.

The trip comes after a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas ended eight days of conflict. The violence killed more than 170 Palestinians and six Israelis,

Hamas won a parliamentary majority in the 2006 Palestinian legislative election and ousted Fatah forces from Gaza a year later. Since then, the two sides have led rival governments in the West Bank and Gaza.