Secretary General of the main Palestinian movement, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), Mr.Saeb Erekat, has died with Covid-19, officials say.
The 65-year-old who was an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas passed away in Jerusalem at Hadassah Medical Center, where he had been admitted last month after being diagnosed with the disease.
Erekat led the Palestinians in on-off peace talks with Israel for many years.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who described Erekat as a brother and fighter has declared three days of national mourning.
He helped negotiate the landmark Oslo Accords in 1993, which created the Palestinian Authority and gave Palestinians limited self-governance in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for the first time since Israel occupied the territories in 1967.
BBC