HandoutsThe funeral of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Iran on Wednesday, is being held in Qatar.
Funeral prayers for Haniyeh will be held at the Imam Mohammed bin Abdul Wahab Mosque, the largest in Qatar, before being buried in a cemetery in the city of Lusail, north of Doha.
Prominent figures in the Hamas movement – including his former leader Khaled Meshaal – stood on the tarmac at Doha airport as the plane carrying Haniyeh’s coffin landed from Iran on Thursday afternoon.
Haniyeh killed during visit to Iranian capital. Iran and its allies blame Israel, but Israel has not yet claimed responsibility for his death.
Hamas said “Arab and Islamic leaders” and figures from other Palestinian factions, as well as members of the public, would attend.
Turkey and Pakistan declared a day of mourning for Haniyeh on Friday, while Hamas called for “roaring angry marches … from every mosque” to protest Haniyeh’s killing after Friday prayers.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led a prayer service at a separate funeral for Haniyeh in Tehran on Thursday, after vowing that Israel would be “severely punished” for the killing.
AFPHaniyeh has been stationed in Doha since around 2019.
Haniyeh played a key role in indirect negotiations with Israel over a potential ceasefire in the Gaza war.
The talks in Doha were attended by the heads of the CIA, Mossad and the Egyptian and Qatari intelligence services
Haniyeh’s funeral capped a week of heightened tensions in the Middle East, further heightened by an attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that killed 12 children and teenagers.
Israel blames Hezbollah and vows “severe” revenge, but Hezbollah denies involvement.
Getty ImagesA few days later, Senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr killed Israel launches targeted air strikes on Beirut. Four other people were also killed, including two children.
Hours later, Ismail Haniyeh, a leading Hamas supporter, was assassinated in Iran. He was visiting to attend the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
Israel has not claimed responsibility for the assassination, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said Israel had carried out “devastating strikes” against Iranian proxy groups in recent days.
A senior Hamas official told the BBC that the killing took place in the same building where Haniyeh had stayed during a previous visit to Iran. They said three Hamas leaders and some guards were in the same building with him.
The exact circumstances of his death remain unclear.
Haniyeh’s killing leaves Hamas leadership ‘shock state“, a senior Hamas official told the BBC.
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya told a news conference that a missile hit Haniyeh “directly”, citing witnesses who were with him.
But in a report New York TimesThe newspaper quoted seven officials as saying Haniyeh was killed by a bomb smuggled into his building two months ago.
The BBC has not been able to confirm these claims.
