Thousands in Qatar bid farewell to slain Hamas chief

Mourners and supporters bid farewell Friday in Qatar to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh after his killing in Tehran, blamed on Israel, has heightened regional tensions as the Gaza war dragged on.

Thousands of people gathered at the Gulf emirate's largest mosque, where Haniyeh's casket, draped in a Palestinian flag, was taken before leaving again for burial in Lusail, north of Doha.

Haniyeh, the Palestinian armed group's political chief, played a key role in mediated talks aimed at ending nearly 10 months of war between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip.

His killing triggered calls for revenge and raised questions about the continued viability of such negotiations.

Mourners lined up for funeral prayers inside Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque, while others prayed on mats outside in temperatures that reached 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit).

The ceremony ended in angry chants, but the short-lived demonstration quickly dispersed.

"He was a symbol, a resistance leader... people are angry," said Taher Adel, 25, a Jordanian student residing in the Qatari capital.

Haniyeh's predecessor Khaled Meshaal spoke at the ceremony, saying the slain leader had "served his cause, his people... and never abandoned them".

Turkey and Pakistan announced a day of mourning on Friday to honour Haniyeh, while Hamas called for a "day of furious rage".

Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan were among the officials at the funeral.

"Ismail Hanyieh is a symbol for all Muslims," Qatari Ahmed Mahmoud, 48, told AFP at the ceremony.

"There must be a reaction. Israel must know we will defend ourselves."

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the president of the United Arab Emirates, said his country -- which in 2020 normalised ties with Israel -- rejects "violence and political assassination in all its forms".

Many Doha mourners wore scarves that combined the Palestinian flag with a checkered keffiyeh pattern and the message in English: "Free Palestine".

- High-profile killings -

Haniyeh and a bodyguard were killed in a pre-dawn "hit" on their accommodation in Tehran Wednesday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said. Haniyeh was in Iran to attend the swearing-in of President Masoud Pezeshkian a day earlier.

Israel, accused by Hamas, Iran and others of the attack, has not directly commented on it.

The killing of Qatar-based Haniyeh is among several incidents since April that have sent regional tensions soaring during the Gaza war, which has drawn in Iran-backed armed groups in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.

Iranian officials met with representatives of these groups on Wednesday to discuss the next steps, a source close to Lebanon's Hezbollah movement told AFP.

"Two scenarios were discussed: a simultaneous response from Iran and its allies or a staggered response from each party," said the source who had been briefed on the meeting and requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant met with his visiting British counterpart John Healey on Friday and stressed "the importance of establishing a coalition" to support "Israel's defence against Iran and its proxies", Gallant's office said.

France urged its nationals visiting Iran to leave "due to the increased risk of a military escalation".

During the Gaza war, Hezbollah and Israeli forces have engaged in near-daily exchanges of fire, and did so again on Friday.

In Gaza, the civil defence agency reported several people killed in the territory's north, and Israel's military said it had killed around 30 militants near Rafah, in the south.

Haniyeh's assassination came hours after Israel struck a southern suburb of Beirut, killing Fuad Shukr, the military commander of Lebanese Hamas ally Hezbollah.

Haniyeh's deputy, Saleh al-Aruri, was killed in Beirut early this year.

In another high-profile killing, Israel's army on Thursday confirmed that an air strike in July killed Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif in Gaza.

Israel "delivered crushing blows to all our enemies", said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

- Deal 'off the table' -

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas in retaliation for its October 7 attack that ignited the war in Gaza.

The attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Militants also seized 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory campaign against Hamas has killed at least 39,480 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.

On Thursday, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led prayers for Haniyeh in Tehran, having earlier threatened "harsh punishment" for his killing.

The New York Times, citing Middle Eastern officials, has reported that Haniyeh was killed by an explosive device planted weeks ago at a Tehran guesthouse.

Asked about the report, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari told journalists "there was no other Israeli aerial attack... in all the Middle East" on the night of Shukr's killing in Lebanon.

Israel said Shukr's assassination -- for which Hezbollah said retaliation was "inevitable" -- was a response to rocket fire which killed 12 youths last week in the annexed Golan Heights.

Iranian news agency Fars said the US report was a "lie", insisting that the Hamas leader was killed by a "projectile".

Analyst Hugh Lovatt said Haniyeh's killing at the very least "will mean that a ceasefire deal with Israel is now totally off of the table".

The White House said US President Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu by telephone on Thursday and affirmed his commitment to defend Israel's security "against all threats from Iran".

"We have the basis for a ceasefire (in Gaza)... They should move on it now," Biden told reporters after the call.