Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and his father, the former Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, paid their final respects to the Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh at the Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque in Doha on Friday, August 2.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was seen at the mosque with his agal (the headband) removed, signifying the death of Ismail Haniyeh as the loss of someone who is his own. The Hamas supremo had been residing in Qatar since 2017.
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, Iran, on July 31, 2024, reportedly by Israeli Mossad agents.
After a ceremony that was held in Tehran, led by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, alongside top government and religious leaders, Ismail Haniyeh’s body was brought to Doha’s central mosque in an honorary convoy, where thousands joined the mourning procession.
The funeral in Doha took place in the presence of Hamas leaders Khaled Mashaal, Basem Naim, and Mousa Abu Marzook, as well as Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Nakhaleh. Another notable presence was a delegation from the Taliban paying tribute to the fallen Hamas leader.
People who joined in large numbers in and around the mosque waved Palestinian flags and scarves while chanting slogans in honour of Ismail Haniyeh’s martyrdom.
