ALBAWABA - Tens of thousands gathered in Doha to perform funeral prayers for Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas's Political Bureau, following his assassination in Tehran. The prayers were held at Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque.
The Qatari capital saw a massive influx of worshippers who participated in the funeral rites after Friday prayers. Haniyeh was then laid to rest at the Imam Founder Cemetery in Lusail.
Among those attending the funeral were Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, along with official delegations and leaders of Palestinian factions.
An Al Jazeera correspondent reported that the burial would be a private affair, restricted to Haniyeh's close family to respect their privacy.
Haniyeh's body arrived in Doha on Thursday from Iran, where a significant funeral ceremony had been held. He was killed in a targeted strike at his Tehran residence, just after attending the inauguration of Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
Hamas announced on Wednesday that Haniyeh and one of his escorts were martyred in the "Zionist raid" in Tehran.
