'Blood of Haniyeh will change all equations' – Hamas vows revenge at senior leader's funeral in Qatar

Read this article in:

The funeral ceremony for Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh took place at a mosque in Qatar on Friday with the participation of Qatar’s governing elites and other Hamas leadership.

Haniyeh was killed in an explosion at a guest house owned by the Iranian regime, situated in a northern Tehran suburb, on Wednesday. The bomb that detonated in his room had reportedly been hidden there as early as June. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the assassination of the senior Hamas leader.

Haniyeh's visit to Iran coincided with his attendance at the swearing-in of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian the previous day.

Haniyeh's funeral at the Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque was attended by hundreds of people, including Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Former Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, a possible successor to Haniyeh, participated alongside other senior Hamas officials. Mourners gathered outside the mosque, enduring temperatures as high as 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) to pay their respects to the Hamas leader.

Several senior Hamas officials at the funeral vowed retaliation against Israel.

“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,” Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

“We are sure that his blood will bring out victory, dignity and liberation,” said Khalil Al-Hayya, another possible successor to Haniyeh.

The rhetoric by Hamas officials on Friday echoed the threats issued by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on Thursday.

“With this action, the criminal and terrorist Zionist regime prepared the ground for harsh punishment for itself, and we consider it our duty to seek revenge for his blood as he was martyred in the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Khamenei said in a statement.

He later lead prayers for Haniyeh at a ceremony where Haniyeh's widow, Amal, mourned her husband and reportedly told him to pass on her greetings to the “martyrs” of Gaza.

“Say hello to all the martyrs of Gaza, say hello to the leaders, to all Gaza’s martyrs, all the Muslims,” she allegedly said.

Khamenei has ordered Iranian forces to make a direct strike on Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Haniyeh, according to a New York Times report.

Iranian officials reportedly met in Tehran with Iranian proxies Hezbollah and Hamas on Wednesday to discuss next steps in its retaliation against Israel, a source close to the Hezbollah terror group told AFP.

“Two scenarios were discussed: a simultaneous response from Iran and its allies or a staggered response from each party,” said the source on condition of anonymity.

On Friday, Turkey and Pakistan also announced a day of mourning to honor Haniyeh, with Hamas calling for a “day of furious rage.”

Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatened to invade Israel, stating: “We must be very strong so that Israel can’t do these things to Palestine. Just as we entered [Nagorno-] Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we might do the same to them. There is nothing we cannot do. Only we must be strong.”

Haniyeh was not only mourned in the Middle East. Following his assassination on WEdnesday, the Hamsa leader Haniyeh was honored and celebrated as a martyr by protesters in New York City's Times Square. The could be seen waving Hamas flags and photos of Haniyeh, accompanied by chants like, “Allah loves the martyr! Israel is the enemy of Allah!”