DOHA: Qatar on Friday is due to hold funeral ceremonies for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh after his killing in Tehran, an attack blamed on Israel that has deepened fears of a regional escalation.
Haniyeh, the Palestinian armed group’s political chief, had resided in Doha along with other members of the Hamas political office.
He will be buried at a cemetery in Lusail, north of the Qatari capital, following funeral prayers at the Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab mosque, the gas-rich emirate’s largest.
His killing sparked calls for revenge and is among several incidents that have inflamed regional tensions.
Hamas has said that “Arab and Islamic leaders” as well as representatives of other Palestinian factions and members of the public would attend the events.
Haniyeh and a bodyguard were killed in the pre-dawn attack on their accommodation in Tehran early on Wednesday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said.
He had travelled to Iran to attend Tuesday’s swearing-in of President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Israel, accused by Hamas, Iran and others of the attack, has not directly commented on it.
The Hamas leader’s assassination came just hours after Israel struck a southern suburb of Beirut, killing Fuad Shukr, the military commander of Hamas-allied Lebanese group Hezbollah.
In Tehran on Thursday, crowds of mourners paid their respects during a public funeral ceremony for Haniyeh.
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Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led the prayers, having earlier threatened “harsh punishment” for his killing.
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