Crowds of people gathered at Doha’s Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque, also known as the Qatar State Grand Mosque on Friday, August 2, 2024, to farewell Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh after his killing in Tehran, an attack blamed on Israel.
His death was one in a series of assassinations of senior Hamas figures as the war in Gaza nears its 11th month and concern grows that the conflict is spreading across the Middle East.
Many Doha mourners were dressed in crisp white traditional robes, others in street clothes.
Most wore scarves that combined the Palestinian flag with a checkered keffiyeh pattern and the message in English: “Free Palestine.”
Heavy security measures were in place at the scene, with attendees being searched and prohibited from bringing phones into the service.
Doha traffic police and Qatar’s internal security forces monitored all approaches and police lined highway embankments adjoining the mosque grounds.
After the funeral prayers, Haniyeh’s casket, draped in a Palestinian flag, was taken to Lusail, north of the Qatari capital, for burial.
Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s deputy head in Gaza, was among the group’s senior officials at Ismail Haniyeh’s funeral in Doha.
Al-Hayya, seen as a possible successor to Haniyeh, conveyed a message to several of Haniyeh’s relatives at the ceremony.
“We are sure that his [Haniyeh’s] blood will bring out victory, dignity and liberation,” he said.
Al-Hayya also emphasised that Haniyeh was “no better or dearer” than the thousands of children killed in Gaza during the war.
Protest against killing of Hamas leader was held in Beirut.
Protesters carried a symbolic coffin for Haniyeh and held prayers for him, as he was buried in Qatar.
Hundreds of people were seen waving Palestinian flags and chanting, as they marched through the streets of the Lebanese capital.
Hamas and Iran have both accused Israel of carrying out the assassination and pledged to retaliate against their foe. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack nor denied it.
Turkey and Pakistan announced a day of mourning on Friday to honour Haniyeh, while Hamas called for a “day of furious rage”.
The Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv lowered its flag to half-staff in honour of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh.
Flying official flags at half-staff is seen as a sign of respect, usually marking sombre occasions.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir responded to the move on X , saying, “Representatives of the Turkish Embassy in Israel are invited to take down the flag completely and return home. shameful.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, says on X that he ordered the summoning of Turkey’s deputy ambassador to Israel for a “stern reprimand” over the incident.
“The State of Israel will not accept expressions of participation in mourning for a murderer like Ismail Haniyeh who was the head of the Hamas terrorist organization,” Katz wrote.
Haniyeh Hard To Replace
According to Beirut-based Middle East Analyst, Sami Nader, Hamas will have a tough time replacing Haniyeh due to his strong ties with Arab allies and central role in ceasefire negotiations.
Nader stated that as Hamas’ political chief, Haniyeh gave the group a more “moderate profile” and succeeded in improving ties with many Arab governments with whom relations had been tense.
During the Gaza war, he also played a leading role in ceasefire negotiations.
Nader added that picking a successor will be further complicated by the fact that Haniyeh’s deputy, Saleh al-Arouri, was killed in January this year in a Beirut air strike.
Moreover, Nader notedthat Iran and its allies were facing a “very delicate” moment.
“They need to calibrate the response to recover the deterrence that was [lost] without sliding into an all-out war,” he said.
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