An aerial view of the Saraya grounds in Gaza City where an estimated one million people gathered to mark Yasser Arafat‘s death anniversary. (WAFA photo) 

GAZA, November 11, 2017 (WAFA) – Hundreds of thousands of people waving the yellow Fatah flag gathered on Saturday at the Saraya grounds in Gaza City to commemorate 13 years for the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

In Ramallah, Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah laid a wreath at Arafat‘s grave located in the Moqata, his headquarters.

The Fatah-Hamas reconciliation last month paved the way for allowing this event to take place in Gaza, which has been under Hamas rule since July 2007 until it agreed in October to turn over control in Gaza to the Palestinian Authority’s government.

Thousands of Gazans began since late Friday night to take up places at the Saraya awaiting the central event planned for midday Saturday with the participation of representatives of all the Palestinian factions.

Arafat died at a Paris hospital on November 11, 2004 after he was rushed there following a serious deterioration in his health.

The Palestinian leader and founder of Fatah movement was under siege by Israel’s military in his Ramallah headquarters.

Palestinians have accused Israel of poisoning Arafat after a team of Swiss forensic experts found traces of the highly poisonous polonium radioactive material on his body.

M.K.