Cairo, Aug 2 (EFE).- The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, along with members of the Turkish government, officials from Pakistan and Malaysia, and representatives of various Palestinian factions, attended the funeral of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Doha.
Haniyeh was killed in Tehran in an attack blamed on Israel.
Qatari television network Al Jazeera reported that al Thani and his father, Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, as well as Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, attended the ceremony at the Mohamed bin Abdulwahab mosque, the largest in Qatar.
Senior Turkish officials, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the Vice President, and the President of the Turkish Parliament, also attended. Diplomatic delegations from Pakistan and Malaysia were present, according to the network.
The Turkish foreign ministry reported on its X account that Fidan met with prominent Hamas leader Khaled Meshal in Doha to convey his condolences.
Representatives of Hamas, Fatah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad also participated in the funeral prayer, showing unity after the assassination of the Hamas political bureau head.
Hamas political bureau member Jalil al Hayya led a brief prayer in front of Haniyeh’s coffin, which was then taken out of the mosque in a mass procession to be buried in the cemetery in Lusail, north of Doha.
Attendance at the funeral was restricted to state officials, representatives of Palestinian factions, and Haniyeh’s relatives due to the limited capacity of the cemetery.
However, at the mosque, hundreds were unable to enter and took refuge under nearby bridges to listen to the prayers, avoiding the scorching 43-degree Celsius temperatures.
As they left the venue, dozens chanted slogans such as “Free Palestine,” amid a strong police presence in Doha during the ceremony.
Haniyeh’s body was flown in from Tehran, where he had been living since 2019, and where the political office of Hamas is also located.
A funeral was already held for Haniyeh on Thursday in Tehran, led by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and attended by thousands, including high-ranking political and military officials of Iran. EFE
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