Qatar to Hold Funeral Ceremonies for Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh
Qatar is set to hold funeral ceremonies for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Friday, following his killing in Tehran, Iran, which has deepened fears of a regional escalation. Haniyeh, the Palestinian armed group’s political chief, was killed in a pre-dawn attack on his accommodation in Tehran, along with his bodyguard. The attack has been blamed on Israel, which has not directly commented on it.
Haniyeh will be buried at a cemetery in Lusail, north of the Qatari capital, following funeral prayers at the Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab mosque, the gas-rich emirate’s largest. His killing has sparked calls for revenge and is among several incidents that have inflamed regional tensions during the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, which has drawn in Iran-backed militant groups in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.
Hamas has said that "Arab and Islamic leaders" as well as representatives of other Palestinian factions and members of the public would attend the events. Turkey and Pakistan have announced a day of mourning on Friday in honour of Haniyeh, while Hamas has called for a "day of furious rage" to coincide with the burial.
The Palestinian group has encouraged "roaring anger marches… from every mosque" following Friday prayers to protest Haniyeh’s killing as well as the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas in retaliation for its October 7 attack on Israel that ignited the war in Gaza.
The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Militants also seized 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead. Israel’s retaliatory campaign against Hamas has killed at least 39,480 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.
US President Joe Biden has expressed concern over the rising tensions in the region, saying that the killing of Haniyeh had "not helped" the situation. The White House said Biden spoke with Netanyahu by telephone on Thursday, promising to defend Israel’s security "against all threats from Iran." Qatar’s prime minister has reacted to Haniyeh’s death, saying that the killing had thrown the Gaza war mediation process into doubt.
The international community has called for calm and a focus on securing a ceasefire in Gaza, which Haniyeh had accused Israel of obstructing. Israel has warned its adversaries that they would "pay a very high price" for any "aggression." "Israel is at a very high level of preparation for any scenario, both defensive and offensive," Netanyahu said in a statement. "Those who attack us, we will attack in return."
