Hamas chief buried in Qatar as calls for revenge ripple through Muslim world
By Dan Williams and Julia Frankel
Jerusalem: Thousands of mourners converged around the flag-draped coffin of Hamas’ slain political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in Qatar on Friday as the fallout surged from his death in an alleged Israeli attack.
The funeral ceremony in Doha, Qatar’s capital, attended by members of Gaza’s militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups as well as Qatari and Iranian officials, was subdued.
Ismail Haniyeh’s coffin being carried out after the funeral prayers in Doha, Qatar.Credit: AP
But across the Muslim world – from Jordan and Morocco to Yemen and Somalia – angry crowds waving Palestinian flags rushed out of mosques after midday prayers, chanting for revenge.
“Let Friday be a day of rage to denounce the assassination,” said senior Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq. Haniyeh had lived in Qatar, along with other senior members of Hamas’ political leadership.
Following the back-to-back assassinations of Haniyeh in Tehran early on Wednesday and top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut the evening before, international diplomats have scrambled to head off a full-fledged regional war. As Iran and its proxies vowed to retaliate, major airlines cancelled flights to Tel Aviv, Israel, and Beirut, Lebanon.
Yemeni protesters raise machine guns during a protest to condemn the killing of Ismail Haniyeh.Credit: AP
On Friday, Cyprus said it was preparing for possible mass evacuations of foreign citizens through the Mediterranean island in case of a wider war. France beefed up security for Jewish communities nationwide, and Poland warned citizens against travelling to the Middle East.
Pakistan and Turkey lowered their flags to half-mast, prompting Israel to summon Turkey’s deputy ambassador for a “stern reprimand.”
Turkey’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Oncu Keceli, shot back that Israel “cannot achieve peace by killing the negotiators” – a reference to Haniyeh’s role in ceasefire talks – while hundreds of Turks gathered at the historic Hagia Sophia to pay tribute to the Hamas leader as his funeral service got under way.
“We are sure that his blood will bring out victory, dignity and liberation,” senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya, seen as a possible successor to Haniyeh, said from the Doha mosque where Haniyeh’s coffin was displayed beside that of his bodyguard, who was also killed in the Tehran attack.
Supporters of Milli Muslim League in Pakistan offer absentee funeral prayers for Ismail Haniyeh.Credit: AP
Israeli defence officials, meanwhile, said they were co-ordinating with the US and UK ahead of an expected Iranian retaliatory strike, setting the stage for a repeat of a similar attack by Tehran in April that was repelled by the allies.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement that he had spoken with his US and British counterparts, Lloyd Austin and John Healey, to provide “a situational assessment in light of recent security developments”.
Tensions spike again
Fear has risen of a spillover from the nearly 10-month Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
A similar spike in tensions about four months ago saw Iran and Israel trade direct fire for the first time. Almost 300 Iranian drones and missiles were fired, but most were destroyed by air defences from Israel, the US and several allies. Israel’s drone strike in response was contained and appeared symbolic to avoid escalation.
An intercepted ballistic missile that fell near the Dead Sea in Israel during Iran’s attack in April. Credit: AP
This time, Iran’s response may be more fierce, given the embarrassment of having a foreign dignitary and top ally assassinated in the heart of its capital. Among its options are another direct assault on Israel, stepped-up attacks by its regional proxies, or hitting Israeli targets elsewhere in the world.
Defence Secretary Austin, who earlier this week reiterated that the US “certainly will help defend Israel” if attacked, spoke with Gallant and is weighing moves to reinforce America’s presence in the region, the Pentagon said.
Israel has stopped short of confirming it was behind killing Haniyeh, but it hasn’t pushed back against the claim either. His death came hours after Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut, Fuad Shukr.
Last week, President Joe Biden assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “new defensive US military deployments,” the White House said in a statement. Biden later told reporters he had also pressed the Israeli leader in a “very direct” call to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas.
Biden is trying to use his last months in office to end the war, which has caused huge political divisions in the US. He’s struggled to influence Netanyahu’s war strategy, seeking to pressure him publicly and privately but declining to use the billions of dollars of US military aid as leverage.
While the destruction and death toll among Palestinians in Gaza has drawn international criticism of Israel, Netanyahu has focused on the existential threat to his country and the region from Iran and its proxies in the so-called Axis of Resistance, which includes Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. All are designated terrorist organisations by the US.
AP, Bloomberg
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