Tel Aviv: Hundreds gathered at Qatar’s largest mosque for the funeral of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, eliminated in Iran, reported The Times of Israel. Mourners offered prayers inside Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque, with others outside in 44°C heat. Haniyeh will be buried in Lusail, north of Doha. Khaled Meshaal, a possible successor, attended, reported The Times of Israel.
Iran and Hamas accused Israel of the assassination, which Israel has not acknowledged or denied. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led a Tehran funeral and threatened “harsh punishment.” On Wednesday, Khamenei ordered direct retaliation against Israel, the New York Times reported, during an emergency Supreme National Security Council meeting.
Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan were also due at the funeral. Haniyeh’s killing has escalated regional tensions amid the Israel-Hamas war, drawing in Iran-backed groups in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen, reported The Times of Israel. Turkey and Pakistan declared a day of mourning on Friday, while Hamas called for a “day of furious rage.”
Haniyeh and his bodyguard were killed in a pre-dawn “hit” in Tehran early Wednesday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said. Haniyeh was in Iran for Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s swearing-in.
The war erupted after Hamas’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel, killing 1,200 civilians and taking 251 hostages. Israel’s response aims to eliminate Hamas and retrieve hostages. Turkey lowered its flag at half-mast at its Tel Aviv embassy, prompting Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz to summon Turkey’s Deputy Ambassador for a reprimand, stating Israel will not tolerate mourning for a “murderer” like Haniyeh.
