The funeral of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was held in Qatar on Friday following his assassination in Tehran, part of a series of killings of senior figures in the Palestinian militant group amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Mourners, including Khaled Meshaal, senior Hamas officials, and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, gathered at a mosque north of Doha. Haniyeh was buried in Lusail, north of Doha, after funeral prayers.
Haniyeh’s coffin, draped in the Palestinian flag, was carried past hundreds of attendees, along with the coffin of his bodyguard, who was also killed in the Tehran attack on Wednesday.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri warned Israel of impending retaliation. “The blood of Haniyeh will change all equations,” he told Reuters by phone.
Haniyeh was killed by a missile strike at a state guesthouse in Tehran. Both Iran and Hamas accused Israel of the assassination and pledged retaliation. Israel has not claimed responsibility.
The assassination of Haniyeh, along with other recent killings of senior Hamas and Hezbollah figures, has raised concerns of a broader regional conflict.
U.S. President Joe Biden stated that Haniyeh’s killing hampers international ceasefire efforts in Gaza, now in its 10th month. Qatar, Egypt, and the United States are leading peace efforts.
Haniyeh, seen as a moderate within Hamas, played a significant role in international diplomacy and ceasefire talks. He moved between Turkey and Doha, avoiding travel restrictions in Gaza. In May, the International Criminal Court requested arrest warrants for Haniyeh and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes, which both sides have dismissed.
Iran held a funeral for Haniyeh on Thursday, attended by his widow, Amal Haniyeh. Hamas politburo member Izzat al-Rishq called for global prayers and protests against the assassination and the conflict in Gaza.
While Israel has not confirmed Haniyeh’s killing, it claimed responsibility for a recent airstrike that killed Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif in Gaza. Additionally, Hezbollah confirmed the death of its senior commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli strike on Beirut, with Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah vowing a definitive response.
