1 of 3 | Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was buried on Friday. A funeral procession was led through Tehran in a separate ceremony on Thursday. Photo by Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA/UPI | License Photo
The funeral and burial of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh took place in Qatar on Friday after he was killed in Iran on Wednesday as the militant organization called for “roaring anger marches” from every mosque.
The funeral was held at the Imam Muhammed Abdul Wahhab Mosque and the burial at a cemetery in Lusail, north of Qatar’s capital of Doha. Doha has been the home of negotiations between Israel and Hamas in an effort to end the ongoing war. Advertisement
The funeral brought out a rare public showing of Hamas leaders who stood on at the Doha airport tarmac as the plane carrying Haniyeh’s body arrived.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led prayers at a separate funeral for Haniyeh in a separate funeral ceremony in Tehran on Tuesday.
Haniyeh had been operating in Doha since 2019. Qatar’s connection with the militant group dates back to 2012 when Hamas opened its political office there after it was closed in Damacus, Syria. Haniyeh had been one of the lead negotiators in indirect talks with Israel over a cease-fire since the current war. Advertisement
U.S. national security communication adviser John Kirby told CNN that the United States is prepared to “move resources” into the Middle East in response to Iranian threats to avenge the death of Haniyeh on its soil in Tehran.
“We heard the supreme leader [of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] loud and clear that he intends to avenge this killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran and that they want to conduct another attack on Israel,” Kirby said.
France’s foreign ministry on Friday called for its citizens visiting Iran to “leave as soon as possible” because of the height of possible military escalation by Tehran.
“French nationals are strongly advised not to travel to Iran for any reason whatsoever,” the ministry said. It warned of possible retaliatory strikes between Iran and Israel that would make any trip to Iran dangerous for visitors.
