West Bank, Nov 1 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Sakher Habash who was One of the founding members of the long-ruling Palestinian Fatah movement has died in the West Bank at the age of 70.

Palestinian officials say Sakher Habash died of a stroke on Sunday. The Fatah-led Palestinian Authority issued a statement, which mourned his death.

Fatah was formed in 1965 with Habash’s help. He also served as a close military aide to the movement’s legendary leader, Yasser Arafat. He spent time in exile with Arafat in Lebanon in the 1970s, and held various top positions within Fatah, including its director of recruitment.

According to reports, ‘Habash was born in 1939 near Jaffa in what is now a part of Israel. His family fled during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war to a refugee camp in the West Bank’.

His wife, three sons and a daughter survive him.