Iran Hamas leader Haniya buried in Qatar

According to Qatar's state television, thousands of people gathered in the capital Doha to watch the funeral service for the slain Hamas foreign chief Ismail Hanija.

Keystone-SDA

02.08.2024, 12:52

02.08.2024, 16:37

SDA

The ceremony began with a prayer in the Imam Abdul Wahhab Mosque, Qatar's state mosque. The body was then buried in a cemetery in the city of Lusail, north of Doha. Qatari state television reported the highest security precautions surrounding the ceremony. As can be seen on a video distributed by Hamas, Hamas supporters shouted during the ceremony: "Rest, Hanija, rest. Hamas will continue." The actual funeral took place in the immediate family circle. Hamas representatives were also present. According to Hamas, senior official Khalil al-Haja said to Haniya's family: "His blood will bring victory and liberation."

Haniya and parts of his family had been living in exile in the Gulf emirate of Qatar for years. He was killed on Wednesday night in an Iranian government guest house in Tehran. Hanija had come to the Iranian capital for the inauguration of the new Iranian President Massud Peseschkian. Iran and Hamas hold Israel responsible for the attack and are threatening to retaliate. Israel has not yet commented on the targeted killing of the Hamas leader. Thousands of people took part in a state-organized mourning ceremony in the Iranian capital Tehran on Thursday.

In the mosques of the West Bank and in East Jerusalem, prayers were held in memory of Hanija and the dead in the Gaza Strip. Prayers for Hanija were also held in mosques across Turkey, as reported by the Turkish state broadcaster TRT. Solidarity events were also held in Lebanon. Hundreds of people took part in a symbolic funeral for the slain Hamas leader in the capital Beirut.

The Hamas leader had been part of the Islamist terrorist organization for decades. In the ongoing war with Israel in the Gaza Strip, he was a key figure for international mediators trying to negotiate a ceasefire and the exchange of hostages for prisoners.