GAZA, Nov. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Thousands of al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, armed wing of the dominant Fatah movement, demonstrated in the Gaza City on Thursday, calling on the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to carry out investigations into the death of the late leader Yasser Arafat.

    Demonstrators flooded the Gaza streets, waving yellow flags of the Fatah youth group and the red-black-white-green flags of the PNA.

    The al-Aqsa group said it was far from being enough to hold commemorations of Arafat through conferences and meetings, demanding a thorough probe into Arafat's death.

    The rally came one day after a senior Palestinian official told the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper that Arafat was poisoned by Israel.

    "Arafat was poisoned in his ear before he fell sick on Sept. 25, 2003. He was afflicted with a disease that lasted for 16 days. The illness resulted in a 13-km reduction in his weight. No doctor was able to diagnose his illness at that time," Ahmad Abdul Rahman said.

    According to Rahman, a close aide of Arafat who is also a member of the elite Fatah Revolutionary Council, the poison was put into Arafat's ear when the leader was embracing and hugging people.

    Last Friday, the Palestinians commemorated the first anniversary of Arafat's death.

    The long-time Palestinian leader passed away in a French military hospital on Nov. 11, 2004. The cause for his death has remained unclear. Enditem