Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh buried in Qatar amid vows of revenge against Israel

Emir of Qatar, Iran's First Vice President and Turkish Foreign Minister attended the funeral in Doha

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Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was buried in Qatar on Friday as the region braced for retaliation over his assassination in Tehran, with Iran vowing revenge against Israel.

The remains of Mr Haniyeh and his bodyguard Wasim Abu Shaban were first taken to the Imam Muhammad ibn Abd Al Wahab Mosque in Qatar's capital Doha where hundreds of mourners performed funeral prayers over the caskets, which were covered in the Palestinian flag.

Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim and his father Sheikh Hamad, former emir of Qatar, were among the attendees. Top Hamas official Khaled Meshaal, Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also attended.

Hamas has said representatives of other Palestinian factions and members of the public would attend the events.

The burial took place at the cemetery in Lusail, north of Doha.

Mr Haniyeh's body arrived in Doha on Thursday evening after a public funeral ceremony in the Iranian capital attended by top officials.

The Palestinian armed group's political chief, who resided in Doha, and his bodyguard were killed in an overnight attack on a guesthouse in Tehran after attending the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday.

Iran, Syria, Lebanese militia Hezbollah, Hamas and others have blamed Israel. However, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

The US said it had no hand in the assassination of Mr Haniyeh or a strike in Beirut that killed Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr a few hours before the Tehran attack.

Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim at the funeral of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. Photo: Qatar TV / Reuters

Details are still emerging about the exact circumstances of the killing of the Hamas chief.

According to the New York Times, which cited seven anonymous Middle Eastern officials, Mr Haniyeh was killed by an explosive device that had been smuggled into the guesthouse where he was staying in Tehran.

The bomb had been hidden there about two months before he arrived in Iran to attend the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The assassination inside the guesthouse in the Neshat area, protected by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, signifies a major intelligence failure by the powerful military group.

Iran declared three days of public mourning after the killing of the top Hamas negotiator, with its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saying Israel had “prepared the ground for a harsh punishment for itself”.

“We consider it our duty to avenge his blood as he was martyred in the territory of the Islamic republic of Iran.”

The international community called for calm and a focus on securing a ceasefire in Gaza – which Mr Haniyeh had accused Israel of obstructing.

Israel's leaders had vowed to annihilate Hamas, including all its top leadership, after the militant group's October 7 attack.

More than 39,400 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have since lost their lives during Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza.

On Thursday, Israel warned its adversaries they would “pay a very high price” for any “aggression” after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said red lines were crossed in the assassinations of Mr Shukr and Mr Haniyeh, and this would usher in a “new phase” of the multifront conflict that would make Israel “weep”.

“Israel is at a very high level of preparation for any scenario, both defensive and offensive,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

“Those who attack us, we will attack in return.”