Highest level of security at Hamas leader's funeral
For years, the Hamas external chief believed to have been deliberately killed by Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, has been living with his family in Qatar. He is now being buried there. Meanwhile, the Houthi militia has threatened a "military response" to his death.
Thousands of people gathered in the Qatari capital, Doha, to watch the funeral ceremony for the slain Hamas external chief, Ismail Haniyeh, according to state television. The ceremony began with a prayer at the Imam Abdul Wahhab Mosque, the state mosque of Qatar. Haniyeh's body was to be buried in a cemetery in the city of Lusail, north of Doha, according to Hamas.
Qatari state television reported that there were high security measures around the ceremony. The actual burial will take place in a private family ceremony. Haniyeh had been living in exile in the Gulf emirate of Qatar with parts of his family for years. He was killed in a guesthouse of the Iranian government in Tehran on Tuesday night. Haniyeh had come to the Iranian capital for the inauguration of the new Iranian president, Massoud Peseschkian.
Mosques in the West Bank and East Jerusalem also held prayers for Haniyeh and the dead in Gaza. In Turkey, prayers were also held nationwide for Haniyeh, according to the Turkish state broadcaster TRT. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared Friday as a national day of mourning for Haniyeh.
Houthi militia: "Shameless crimes"
Iran and Hamas blame Israel for the attack and threaten retaliation. The leader of the Yemeni Houthi militia threatened a "military response" on Friday morning. "There must be a military response to these crimes, which are shameless and dangerous and represent a major escalation by the Israeli enemy," said Abdul Malik al-Houthi in a televised speech. The killing of Haniyeh is a "flagrant violation of all norms and principles."
Israel has not yet commented on the targeted killing of the Hamas leader. Thousands of people in the Iranian capital, Tehran, attended a state-organized mourning ceremony on Thursday. The Hamas leader had been a key figure in the Islamist terror organization for decades. In the ongoing war with Israel in Gaza, he was a key figure for international mediators in efforts to negotiate a ceasefire and prisoner exchange. The Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting ships with alleged links to Israel in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November. In mid-July, the militia attacked the Israeli city of Tel Aviv with drones. Israel then launched air strikes on the Yemeni port city of Hodeida.
The Commission, which is responsible for investigating international human rights violations, has expressed concern over the alleged targeted killing of Hamas external chief Ismail Haniyeh. Following the funeral ceremony in Doha, The Commission has requested access to the site and relevant evidence to conduct a thorough investigation.
