Slain Hamas political chief buried in Qatar amid vows of revenge against Israel

Haniyeh was laid to rest in a cemetery in the city of Lusail after a funeral ceremony at the Iman Mohamed Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab Mosque in Qatar’s capital Doha.

Representatives of other Palestinian factions and members of the public attended the events in the city, where Haniyeh had lived along with members of Hamas’s political office. His family was at the funeral amid tight security measures at Qatar’s national mosque.

His coffin, draped in the Palestinian flag, was carried in a procession past hundreds of people along with the casket of his bodyguard, who was killed in the same attack in Tehran on Wednesday.

Mourners at the ceremony included Khaled Meshaal, who is tipped to be the new Hamas leader. Other senior Hamas officials and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani also attended.

Speaking at the mosque, where Haniyeh’s body was laid for prayers, Meshaal said his death would only make the group more determined to continue its fight for a free Palestine. There would be no concessions over its principles and no recognition of Israel, he added.

Haniyeh’s death was a big loss to the movement but it would not alter their course, he continued, stating, “Our enemies don’t learn the lesson, they have been killing our leaders for over 100 years, what happened? When a leader ascends (to heaven) another leader comes.”

Hamas and Iran have both accused Israel of carrying out the assassination and have pledged to retaliate against their foe.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei led a public funeral ceremony for Haniyeh in Tehran on Thursday, before the coffin was transported to Doha. He earlier threatened “harsh punishment” for Haniyeh’s killing.

In the Gaza Strip, Hamas called for a “day of furious rage” to protest against the assassination and Israel’s deadliest war on the besieged enclave which since October 7 has killed almost 40,000 people.

Haniyeh was engaged in ceasefire negotiations with mediators Qatar, alongside Egypt and the United States.

US President Joe Biden has stated Haniyeh’s killing had “not helped” the situation.