Hamas: Haniyeh successor vows vengeance against Israel

Ismail Haniyeh, the influential leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, was laid to rest in Qatar on Friday following his assassination in Tehran, Iran.

The somber funeral, marked by vows of retaliation, underscores the escalating conflict between Hamas and Israel, which has now persisted for nearly 11 months.

During the funeral in Doha, a potential successor to Haniyeh addressed a large crowd of mourners, emphasizing that Haniyeh’s death would not hinder the group’s mission.

“Our enemies don’t learn the lesson; they have been killing our leaders for over 100 years. What happened? When a leader ascends (to heaven), another leader comes,” declared the successor, hinting at the group’s resilience.

The assassination is one of several targeted killings of senior Hamas leaders, fueling concerns that the violence is spreading throughout the Middle East.

Hamas and Iran have both accused Israel of orchestrating the assassination and have vowed to retaliate. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for Haniyeh’s death.

The funeral procession in Doha was a powerful display of solidarity, with Haniyeh’s coffin, draped in the Palestinian flag, carried alongside the casket of his bodyguard, who was also killed in the Tehran attack. The procession moved through the Imam Mohamed Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab Mosque to a cemetery in Lusail.

Khaled Meshaal, a senior Hamas official, delivered a fervent speech at the mosque, asserting that Haniyeh’s death would only strengthen the group’s resolve to fight for a free Palestine.

“Palestine will remain from the river to the sea… and the Zionists (Israel) have no place on the land of Palestine, regardless of how many they kill of us,” Meshaal declared in a video released by Hamas.

Meshaal emphasized that Haniyeh’s assassination would not alter Hamas’s mission. “Our enemies don’t learn the lesson; they have been killing our leaders for over 100 years. What happened? When a leader ascends (to heaven), another leader comes,” he added.

Sami Abu Zuhri, another senior Hamas official, issued a stark warning to 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.”

Khalil Al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official in Tehran, confirmed that Haniyeh was killed by a missile strike on the state guesthouse where he was staying. This attack is part of a series of recent strikes targeting senior figures in Hamas and Hezbollah, with the conflict now extending from Gaza to the Red Sea and the Lebanon-Israel border.

U.S. President Joe Biden commented that Haniyeh’s assassination complicates international efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza. “It doesn’t help,” Biden said when asked if the action undermined truce prospects.

Qatar, alongside Egypt and the U.S., has been actively spearheading peace efforts. Haniyeh was known for his diplomatic approach within Hamas and was viewed by many diplomats as more pragmatic compared to other hardline members of the Iran-backed group in Gaza. However, some Israeli commentators considered him an obstacle to peace negotiations.

In April, three of Haniyeh’s sons and four grandchildren were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza, further intensifying the personal toll of the conflict.

For many Palestinian supporters, Hamas leaders are seen as freedom fighters resisting Israeli occupation, keeping their cause alive amidst failed international diplomacy. Conversely, to Israelis and Western states, Hamas is viewed as a terrorist organization committed to Israel’s destruction.

Haniyeh, who was appointed as Hamas’s leader in 2017, operated between Turkey and Doha, circumventing travel restrictions from Gaza. In May, the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s office requested arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders, including Haniyeh, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes, which both Israeli and Palestinian leaders dismissed.

In a separate incident, Israel announced that a recent airstrike killed Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif in Gaza, though Hamas has not confirmed this. Additionally, Hezbollah reported that its senior military commander, Fuad Shukr, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, vowing a “definite” response.