It is a very sad day. He was our leader for so long and his death is a real disaster for Palestinians.

Arafat achieved a great deal for the Palestinians. He started from zero. We have had 50 years of suffering and he transformed this suffering from a disaster to a National Authority, which is a major achievement for us.

I think that his death will force everyone to work harder to achieve more for Palestinians.

Interviews and pictures by Chryssa Panoussiadou for PANOS