Crowd loots Arafat's former home

A crowd looted the home of long-time Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat today destroying one of the strongest symbols of the Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip, witnesses and Fatah officials said.

Fatah officials said the crowd took furniture, wall tiles and Arafat’s personal belongings.

The villa had been empty since Arafat left for the West Bank in 2001 shortly after the outbreak of the second Palestinian uprising. Israel confined Arafat to the West Bank until permitting him to fly to France for medical care in late 2004. Arafat died in France several weeks later.

Arafat, Fatah’s founder, led the Palestinians for four decades before his death.

Hamas seized control of Gaza this week after defeated Fatah forces in five days of fighting.