Thousands in Qatar bid farewell to slain Hamas chief

AFP | Doha

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com   

Mourners and supporters bid farewell yesterday in Qatar to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh after his killing in Tehran, blamed on Israel, has heightened regional tensions as the Gaza war dragged on.

Thousands of people gathered at the Gulf emirate’s largest mosque, where Haniyeh’s casket, draped in a Palestinian flag, was taken before leaving again for burial in Lusail, north of Doha.

Haniyeh, the Palestinian armed group’s political chief, played a key role in mediated talks aimed at ending nearly 10 months of war between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip.

His killing triggered calls for revenge and raised questions about the continued viability of such negotiations. Mourners lined up for funeral prayers inside Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque, while others prayed on mats outside in temperatures that reached 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit).

“He was a symbol, a resistance leader... people are angry,” said Taher Adel, 25, a Jordanian student residing in the Qatari capital. Haniyeh’s predecessor Khaled Meshaal spoke at the ceremony, saying the slain leader had “served his cause, his people... and never abandoned them”.

Turkey and Pakistan announced a day of mourning yesterday to honour Haniyeh, while Hamas called for a “day of furious rage”.

Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan were among the officials at the funeral. “Ismail Hanyieh is a symbol for all Muslims,” Qatari Ahmed Mahmoud, 48, told AFP at the ceremony. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the president of the United Arab Emirates, said his country -- which in 2020 normalised ties with Israel -- rejects “violence and political assassination in all its forms”.

Many Doha mourners wore scarves that combined the Palestinian flag with a checkered keffiyeh pattern and the message in English: “Free Palestine”.