The funeral prayer of former Palestinian prime minister and chief of Hamas political wing, Ismail Haniyeh, has been observed today in Iran.
His absentia funeral prayer was offered in various Muslim countries including in Pakistan.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led the funeral prayer that was attended by a large number of people belonging to different Islamic schools of thought.
Haniyeh’s dead body will be shifted to Qatar today where he will be buried in Doha – the capital of Qatar.
The Hamas leader was assassinated at his place of stay where went to attend the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected President Masood Pezeshkian. The Republic’s supreme leader earlier reiterated a “harsh punishment” for his killing.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards yesterday announced the death of Haniyeh along with his bodyguard in a strike that Iran calls was taken by Israel in the Iranian capital at 2:00 am (2230 GMT). It came just hours after Israel targeted Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in the Lebanese capital – Beirut.
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the strikes in Tehran and Beirut represented a “dangerous escalation.”
Pakistan to stay with Lebanon:
The Foreign Office (FO) of Pakistan has conveyed its serious concerns to the United Nations on Israel’s war expedition in the region stating Israel is imposing war in the region that could be devastating for the regional peace and security. The FO said Pakistan stands with the family of the martyred former Prime Minister and political wing chief of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh who was martyred in the Iranian capital – Thran. Pakistan also stands with the people and government of Lebanon and condemns Israel’s barbaric attacks.
UNSC’s view on Haniyeh’s assassination:
Meanwhile the UN Security Council called for enhanced efforts to avert a wider Middle East conflict. “We fear the region is at the brink of all-out war,” Japan’s deputy UN representative, Shino Mitsuko, said. China, Russia, Algeria and others condemned Haniyeh’s assassination, which Iran called terrorism. China’s ambassador said failure to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza was the reason behind worst situation. “Influential countries must put pressure and do more what is vigorously required to put off the war in Gaza,” he said adding “It is a blatant attempt to sabotage peace efforts and a violation of State sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The Ambassador said despite the adoption of Council resolution 2735 (2024), ceasefire negotiations have not yet yielded results. Speaking about Lebanon, Syria, and the situation in the Red Sea, he strongly objected to Israel’s attack on southern Beirut and stressed that Israel “must stop its collective punishment of Gaza.”
Algeria condemning Haniyeh’s assassination stated, “It is not merely an attack on one man, but a vicious assault on the very foundations of diplomatic relations, the sanctity of State sovereignty and the principles that underpin our global order.” “Israel has embraced a blood-shedding, scorched-earth policy, leaving destruction in its wake — a relentless tide of violence flooding Gaza, the West Bank, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and now Iran.” “These are not acts of self-defense, but a thirst for expansion.” It called for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and the lifting of the inhumane blockade of the Strip. “Israel must completely and irrevocably end its occupation of Palestinian, Syrian, and Lebanese territories, the Algerian ambassador said.
Guyana warned “The situation in the Middle East is approaching a boiling point.” The constant disregard for international law in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, including the recent violations of both Iran’s and Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty are highly condemnable, the Guyana ambassador said. “A war that continues to mutilate and annihilate innocent civilians, the majority of whom are women and children, and continues to kill journalists and aid workers at unprecedented levels,” must be stopped.
Korea said, “Such incidents may result in an irreversible spiral of hostilities, and the escalations have affected the efforts to bring about a ceasefire and enable humanitarian aid access in Gaza.”
The Russian Federation, Council President for July, spoke in his national capacity to voice concern over the extremely dangerous escalation in the Middle East and condemn the assassination of Hamas’ political leader. “Those who are behind this political assassination must know how dangerous the consequences could be for the entire region,” he cautioned, noting that this is “a serious blow to mediation negotiations between Hamas and Israel towards a ceasefire in Gaza.”. Russia warned against efforts to drag Iran into a regional confrontation, noting that it will destabilize a region that is already at a boiling point.
Britain’s Ambassador Barbara Woodward urged calm and restraint, reiterating a call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. She said Israel and Hamas needed to recommit to a peace process that would result in a two-state solution. “The path to peace must be through diplomatic negotiations. Long-term peace could not be secured by bombs and bullets.” The USrepresentative underscored Israel’s right to defend itself against all kinds of external attacks. Sierra Leone condemned the killing of Haniyeh on Iranian territory and called it a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Iran. Though sone the ambassadors of the western countries asked to pressurize Iran to stop its alleged support to fight groups, but none was of the opinion that Haniyeh’s assassination could lead to further escalation.
(By Rana Kashif)
