Hamas leader Haniyeh to be buried in Qatar, sources reveal

Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader, will be buried in Qatar, sources linked to the Palestinian resistance movement told Anadolu on Wednesday.

Iran and Hamas officials are currently in discussions about Haniyeh's funeral. However, sources who spoke to Anadolu on condition of anonymity reveal that his burial will take place in the Qatari capital of Doha.

The assassination has sent shockwaves through the region, raising tensions and prompting vows of revenge from multiple actors. An unnamed Iranian source told the Al-Madeeyan outlet that Haniyeh was killed by a missile fired from outside Iran.

The nearest borders to Tehran are those with Turkmenistan, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) away, and Azerbaijan, at around 300 kilometres (187.5 miles).

The strike, which targeted Haniyeh's residence in north Tehran around 2 am local time, also killed his bodyguard. The attack reportedly took place at a guesthouse for war veterans managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In a statement, Hamas vowed to exact revenge for the assassination of its leader, claiming that a "treacherous Zionist raid" killed him in Tehran. Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the Tuesday swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iran is yet to officially comment on the assassination, but Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed “harsh punishment” and asserted Iran’s “duty to seek revenge.” President Pezeshkian echoed this sentiment, warning that Israel would “regret” killing Haniyeh.

The assassination leaves Israel facing potential responses from both Hamas and Hezbollah for attacks on their leaders and from Iran for the killing within its borders. Haniyeh was killed less than a day after Israel carried out a separate strike on a Hezbollah commander in a suburb of Beirut, in retaliation for a strike over the weekend in an Israeli-controlled town that killed 12 children and teenagers.

Before these recent escalations, there were expectations that Israel and Hamas were nearing an agreement to pause the nearly 10-month-old war in Gaza that has left tens of thousands dead and prompted an ever-deepening humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

Haniyeh was among the negotiators in ongoing talks between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, to end the war in Gaza in exchange for hostages.

Haniyeh had been heading Hamas’s political faction from exile in Qatar since 2017. Israel maintains informal ties with Qatar and has not attacked Hamas leaders there. Iran's failure to protect an ally's leader in its capital is a serious security breach.

Haniyeh had met with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, on Tuesday, shortly before his death. This incident also raises questions about the safety of Iran’s top leaders and Israel’s ability to target them.

Iran held an emergency meeting of its Supreme National Security Council at the supreme leader’s residence early Wednesday. Iranian state television, which reflects the views of the supreme leader and the government, indicated that the attack would lead to retaliation from Iran-backed militant groups in the region.

Israel has carried out a number of high-profile assassinations in Iran in recent years, prompting a security overhaul. Iran and Israel have for years fought a covert war through proxies and targeted assassinations. In April, Iran launched hundreds of missiles at Israel after an Israeli strike on Iranian commanders in Syria.

Ceasefire talks

Qatar, which has played a central role in brokering the talks between Israel and Hamas, condemned Haniyeh’s killing, calling it “an ugly crime and a dangerous escalation.” The Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that the assassination and Israel’s “continued targeting of civilians in Gaza” were “leading the region to slide into chaos.”

Washington was “not aware of or involved in” the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed on Wednesday.

“It’s very hard to speculate, and I’ve learned over many years never to speculate on the impact one event may have on something else,” said Blinken.

He was responding to questions by Singapore-based broadcaster CNA about whether Haniyeh’s assassination was going to impact how Israel’s war on Gaza progresses.

Blinken, however, emphasised the importance of securing a cease-fire in the besieged Palestinian enclave as the war continued for ten months.