A plane transporting the remains of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in a Tehran strike attributed to Israel, arrived in Doha on Thursday, following a public funeral in Iran, as reported by Qatar-based network Al Jazeera. Haniyeh, who had been living in exile in the Gulf state along with other members of Hamas's political office, is set to be buried in Qatar on Friday after prayers at the Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque, Doha's largest.
Haniyeh and his bodyguard were reportedly killed in a pre-dawn attack on their accommodation in Tehran on Wednesday, according to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, in an incident that has been blamed on Israel. Hamas issued a statement the same day confirming that the burial ceremonies in Qatar would take place "with popular and factional attendance and the participation of Arab and Islamic leaders".
A public funeral ceremony for Haniyeh took place in Tehran earlier on Thursday, with large crowds of mourners paying their respects to the Hamas political chief. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, led prayers for Haniyeh, having previously threatened "harsh punishment" for his assassination.
The assassination of the Hamas leader occurred just hours after Israel killed top Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukr, in a strike in Beirut, raising concerns of a broader conflict as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza continues. Israel has not officially commented on Haniyeh's death, but both Hamas and Iran have attributed it to an Israeli air strike. Israel did claim responsibility for the killing of Shukr, accusing him of orchestrating a weekend rocket strike that resulted in the death of 12 children in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.
