Mourners Gather for Hamas Leader Haniyeh’s Burial in Qatar

Mourners Gather for Hamas Leader Haniyeh’s Burial in Qatar

The burial ceremony for Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, assassinated in Iran on Wednesday, is underway in Qatar. Funeral prayers for Haniyeh will be held at the Imam Muhammed bin Abdul Wahhab mosque, Qatar’s largest, before his burial in Lusail, a city north of Doha.

Prominent Hamas figures, including former leader Khaled Meshaal, greeted the plane carrying Haniyeh’s coffin from Iran on Thursday afternoon.

Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, and Iran and its allies blame Israel, though Israel has not claimed responsibility. Hamas announced that “Arab and Islamic leaders,” other Palestinian factions, and the public would attend the funeral. Turkey and Pakistan declared a day of mourning on Friday for Haniyeh, while Hamas called for protests after Friday prayers to condemn his killing.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, led a separate funeral in Tehran, vowing harsh punishment for Israel. Haniyeh, based in Doha since 2019, played a key role in indirect talks with Israel over a potential Gaza ceasefire.

Haniyeh’s burial follows a week of rising tensions, including the killing of 12 children in a strike on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and the assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

Haniyeh was visiting Iran for the inauguration of its new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. The exact circumstances of his death remain unclear, with conflicting reports about the attack.