Thousands camp overnight ahead of Friday's Fatah celebrations in Gaza

Thousands of Palestinians gathered in Gaza City on Friday, ahead of a planned rally celebrating 48 years of the Palestinian Fatah group.               

Preparations continued throughout the night, as supporters carrying the distinctive yellow and black flags of late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's group arrived in a steady stream to the venue.               

Many Palestinians living outside of Gaza City arrived overnight, lighting fires and starting the celebrations early. Cars cruised the streets emblazoned with Fatah and Palestinian flags.               

Fatah, the mainstream Palestinian nationalist movement was founded in 1965 by late leader Yasser Arafat. It is a secular party and the largest of the various factions that make up the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).              

The January 1 anniversary commemorates the first operation against Israel claimed by PLO's armed wing then known as Al-Assifa in 1965.              

Fatah originally backed armed struggle to create a Palestinian state but later led peacemaking efforts with Israel for a deal to create a state in the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as capital -- lands Israel occupied in 1967.             

After decades of dominance, Fatah lost a 2006 parliamentary election to Hamas, the largest Palestinian militant Islamist group. A year later its forces were routed by Hamas in a civil war and ousted from the Gaza Strip. Fatah's power in the West Bank has been reduced by persistent internal struggles and its influence has waned with the rise of the technocrat prime minister, Salam Fayyad.     
  

REUTERS