JERUSALEM, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Israel Thursday agreed to allow Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneya return to Gaza Strip on condition that he would leave behind the large sum of cash he had brought from a tour of Arab and Islamic states, local media reported.

    Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz ordered the army to shut down the Rafah crossing, preventing Haneya from transferring some 35 million U.S. dollars into Gaza.

    Israel Radio reported that the money would be left in Egypt, and on Friday transferred to the bank account of the Arab League.

    Israeli security sources said the closure of Rafah is not aimed at stopping Haneya from entering into Gaza, but the cash transfer for funding Hamas activities, the local Ha'aretz newspaper reported.

    Haneya arrived in Egypt on Thursday and planned to return to Gaza from his first official tour of Arab and Islamic countries, including Iran and Sudan.

    Haneya said Iran had promised him to transfer 250 million U.S. dollars to his government in order to help stabilize the financial crisis in the Palestinian territories.

    International community had imposed financial boycott on Palestinians since Hamas claimed victory in the parliamentary elections this March.

    The sanctions seriously crippled Haneya's government, making it unable to pay full salaries to its 165,000 employees. Hamas had to raise funds overseas in order to cover its ongoing expenditure.

    Some senior Hamas officials have taken into Gaza millions of dollars in recent months, according to Israeli security sources.