The Islamic resistance movement Hamas said on Thursday late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was a great leader.

"With deep grief and sadness we mourn Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, the great leader and the symbol of the Palestinian people and Palestine Liberation Organization," said Hamas in a statement.

The statement said Arafat spent most of his life in serving the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian struggle in order to defend it in the international community.

"In order to keep the legal Palestinian cause, President Arafat faced all kinds of pain, siege and harms," said Hamas.

But Hamas stressed "losing a leader like Arafat would empower us."

"We vow that the strategy of Jihad and resistance to confront the Zionist enemy would never stop until victory and liberation are achieved by the help of Allah (God)," the statement added.

Source: Xinhua