Following the death of Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat on Thursday, Palestinian militant group Hamas said it had strengthened its resolve to keep up attacks on Israel.

"The loss of the great leader will increase our determination and steadfastness to continue jihad and resistance against the Zionist enemy until victory and liberation is achieved," Hamas said in a statement.

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Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas's spokesman in Gaza, called upon its members to honour the leader's memory and maintain Palestinian unity.

"We lost by his death one of our great symbols and one of the main focus of our national struggle and identity," Abu Zuhri said.

The Islamic Jihad's tone was milder. Its spokesman in Gaza, Nafez Arzam, said, "With hearts full of belief in God we mourn President Yasser Arafat, who was a great leader for the Palestinian people."

"This is a time for unity, steadfastness. We are all one people fighting for our freedom and to liberate our land," Mohammad al-Hindi, an Islamic Jihad leader, said.

Meanwhile, Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal accused Israel of plotting Arafat's murder in an interview to Al Jazeera network.