Thousands of Palestinians gathered in Gaza today to commemorate the death of veteran leader Yasser Arafat in the first such memorial in the Hamas-run territory since 2007. <br/><br/>The anniversary event was billed as a show of national unity after the Islamists of Hamas struck a reconciliation agreement last month with the rival Fatah movement founded and led by Arafat until his death in 2004. <br/><br/>The deal, which is supposed to see Hamas cede civil control of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority led by current Fatah leader Mahmud Abbas by December 1, ended years of bitter division between the rival factions.<br/><br/>Hamas seized control of Gaza in a near civil war with Fatah in 2007 amid bitter recriminations over the Islamists' landslide victory in parliamentary elections the previous year. The last commemoration in the territory of Arafat's death was held just months afterwards and ended in clashes between rival factions.