GAZA: It takes Gaza artist Baha Al-Qidra less than a day to slap up a house-sized mural of Yasser Arafat, but there is no way he can keep up with demand.

A widespread feeling the critically ill Palestinian leader will soon die has triggered a surge of devotion for a leader who symbolized the struggle for statehood over four decades even if his rule had been increasingly challenged.

Emotion is especially strong in the Gaza Strip, home of the ex-guerrilla's father, site of his return from exile and where many Palestinians expect him to be buried.

"I have already painted nine large murals of President Arafat in one week. I have another 23 requests," Qidra said.

Colourful paintings that honour the dead in a four-year-old uprising brighten the shabby cinderblock streets of Gaza, the staring eyes of "martyrs" a constant reminder of a conflict that has battered Gaza especially hard.

Many of the paintings are of the leaders and militants from Islamic groups - Hamas leaders Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi are favourites since they were killed in Israeli missile strikes early this year.

But more portraits of Arafat have sprung up since he was sent to a Paris hospital on Oct 29. Demand soared after he was reported to have slipped into a coma last week.

"We always loved Arafat. We never cared what others were saying about him," said Youssef Sahmoud, who went with a friend to Qidra's workshop to order a picture. "We want to show him that we love him."

Gaza was Arafat's first step when he left exile a decade ago under accords giving Palestinians a measure of self-rule.

Arafat last set foot in Gaza in 2001. Israel accused him of fomenting violence, which he denied, and penned him into his shell-battered headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah for more than 2-1/2 years.

Gaza was the focus of a recent upsurge of unrest by gunmen demanding reforms to a plethora of security forces and the sacking of corrupt officials, but personal affection for Arafat remained strong.-Reuters