• Qatari emir, Meshaal among thousands who attended funeral
• Possible successor vows fight for a free Palestine will continue
• Biden says killing not helpful to efforts for truce

DUBAI: Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was buried in Qatar on Friday following his assassination in Iran, and his possible successor told mourners his death would only make the Palestinian group more determined in its struggle against Israel.

Haniyeh’s death was one in a series of killings of senior Hamas figures as the conflict in Gaza between Hamas and Israel nears its 11th month and concern grows that it is spreading across the Middle East.

Hamas and Iran have both accused Israel of carrying out Haniyeh’s assassination and have pledged to retaliate against their foe. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the death nor denied it.

Haniyeh was laid to rest in a cemetery in the city of Lusail after a funeral ceremony attended by thousands at the Iman Mohamed Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab Mosque in Qatar’s capital Doha.

His coffin, draped in the Palestinian flag, was carried in a procession past hundreds of people along with the casket of his bodyguard, who was killed in the same attack in Tehran on Wednesday.

Mourners at the ceremony included Khaled Meshaal, who is tipped to be the new Hamas leader. Other senior Hamas officials and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani also attended.

One of Haniyeh’s daughters, Sara, shared a video on social media showing her pouring holy water over a pebble-topped grave before lowering her head to kiss it.

“In this moment, I buried my soul under the dirt and I departed. I departed with all the pain of the world in my ribs,” she captioned the video uploaded on X.

‘Concessions’ ruled out

Speaking at the mosque, where Haniyeh’s body was brought for prayers, Meshaal said his death would only make the group more determined to continue its fight for a free Palestine. There would be no concessions over its principles and no recognition of Israel, he said.

“Palestine will remain from the river to the sea...and the Zionists (Israel) have no place on the land of Palestine, regardless of how many they kill of us,” Meshaal said in a video released by Hamas.

Haniyeh’s death was a big loss to the movement but it would not alter their course, he said.

“Our enemies don’t learn the lesson, they have been killing our leaders for over 100 years, what happened? When a leader ascends (to heaven) another leader comes,” he said.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters by phone: “Our message to the occupation (Israel) today is that you are sinking deep in the mud and your end is getting closer than ever. The blood of Haniyeh will change all equations.”

Khaled Suleiman, who was among the mourners at the mosque, told Reuters: “Today we came...to affirm that the resistance will not end with the martyrdom of the leader, and behind the leader comes a new leader.” “God willing, all of us will continue and all of us are on the way to the liberation of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Palestine and Gaza, God willing.”

In the United States, US President Joe Biden said Haniyeh’s killing was not helpful to international efforts to secure a ceasefire in the war in Gaza.

“It doesn’t help,” Biden told reporters on Thursday, when asked if the action ruined the chances of a truce.

Qatar has been leading the peace effort along with Egypt and the United States.

Appointed to the Hamas top job in 2017, Haniyeh moved between Turkey and Doha, escaping the travel curbs of the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said its senior military commander Fuad Shukr had been killed in an Israeli strike and it vowed a “definite” response to his killing.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2024