The burial ceremony for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Iran on Wednesday, is taking place in Qatar. Funeral prayers will be held at the Imam Muhammed bin Abdul Wahhab mosque in Doha, before his burial in Lusail, a city north of the capital.
Haniyeh’s coffin was flown in from Iran, with prominent Hamas figures, including his predecessor Khaled Meshaal, present at the airport. Haniyeh was killed during a visit to Tehran. Iran and its allies have blamed Israel, though Israel has not confirmed involvement.
Hamas stated that “Arab and Islamic leaders,” other Palestinian faction representatives, and the public would attend the funeral. Turkey and Pakistan declared a day of mourning in his honor. Hamas called for mass protests after Friday prayers.
At a separate ceremony in Tehran, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed severe retaliation against Israel. Haniyeh had been based in Doha since 2019 after Hamas relocated its political office there from Damascus.
Haniyeh was involved in indirect negotiations with Israel for a potential ceasefire in Gaza, attended by officials from the CIA, Mossad, and intelligence services of Egypt and Qatar.
Haniyeh’s burial concludes a week of heightened tensions in the Middle East, which intensified after a strike killed 12 children and teenagers in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israel blamed Hezbollah and promised retaliation, though Hezbollah denied involvement. Subsequently, senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in Beirut.
Following these events, Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran while visiting for the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned recent actions against Iran’s proxy groups, but Israel did not claim responsibility for Haniyeh’s death.
Haniyeh was reportedly killed by a bomb smuggled into his accommodation months earlier. The exact details remain unclear, and the incident has left Hamas leadership in shock.
