Palestinian officials say Yasser Arafat's remains have been reburied, just hours after being exhumed as part of a probe into his death, The Associated Press reported.

The exhumation began early Tuesday, Nov 27 under the cover of huge blue sheets of tarpaulin that have been draped around Arafat's mausoleum in his former government compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Two Palestinian officials say samples from the remains were given to expert teams from Switzerland, France and Russia who will examine the samples separately in their countries.

The Palestinian officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the exhumation.

Arafat died of a stroke in 2004, but the underlying causes of death remain a mystery.