Palestinians in the West Bank gathered on Tuesday to mark the 21st anniversary of the death of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Xinhua reported.
A memorial ceremony was held in the morning at Arafat's tomb in the Palestinian Presidential Compound in Ramallah, central West Bank, as top officials, including Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh and Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, laid wreaths.
Arafat passed away on Nov. 11, 2004, at the age of 75 in a hospital in France due to an unknown illness. Palestinians accused Israel of poisoning him, a claim that Israel denies.
On the streets of Ramallah, hundreds of Palestinians participated in a march, some carrying pictures of Arafat and waving Palestinian flags.
Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Wasel Abu Youssef said in a speech that "Arafat embodied the unity of the Palestinian people within the framework of the PLO and the launch of the contemporary Palestinian revolution," according to the Palestinian official news agency WAFA.
During the speech, Abu Youssef "warned against attempts to break the will of the Palestinian people and the efforts to separate the Gaza Strip," WAFA reported.
Events to commemorate the anniversary were also held in other major West Bank cities, including Salfit, Bethlehem and Tulkarm, with the participation of local officials and the public.
Also on Tuesday, Hamas released an official statement in memory of Arafat. Husam Badran, a member of the Political Bureau of Hamas, noted in the statement, "the necessity of adhering to national unity and working to formulate a unified struggle strategy to confront the occupation."
"Hamas supports the hands of the fighters from various resistance factions, who follow the path of the martyred leaders and carry the trust to continue the path of resistance until achieving the aspirations of the Palestinian people for liberation, return, and self-determination," Badran said.
"Hamas is in constant contact with various Palestinian factions to agree on joint national steps to face current challenges, especially in the West Bank and Gaza, and the issue of prisoners, calling on everyone to rise above partial differences to achieve the supreme national interest," Badran added.
Hamas and Israel have maintained a fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip since October after more than two years of fighting. Despite the truce, Israel is accused of launching occasional attacks in Gaza.
The Israeli army said earlier in the day that it had killed a Palestinian man in Gaza, describing him as a militant.
Meanwhile, Gaza's health authorities said the bodies of three people killed by Israeli fire had been taken to hospitals in the enclave, along with one wounded person. ■
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