Thousands of mourners attended the funeral of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Thursday morning, after he was assassinated in the Iranian capital in an attack attributed to Israel.
A crowd of mourners carrying pictures of Haniyeh and Palestinian flags gathered at Tehran University in the center of the capital.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei led funeral prayers for Haniyeh and his bodyguard, who was killed with him in the attack.
Khamenei stood in front of Haniyeh's coffin at Tehran University, while new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stood next to him.
Iranian state television later showed the two coffins on a truck heading to Tehran's Zadi Square, as crowds threw flowers at them.
After the funeral prayers in Tehran, Haniyeh's remains are scheduled to be transferred to Qatar for burial there on Friday.
Hamas announced on Wednesday that Haniyeh's body will be buried in Qatar, after an official funeral ceremony in Tehran, where he was assassinated.
A statement issued by the movement said that "Haniyeh's body will be transferred to Qatar on Thursday, after an official funeral in Tehran," which declared three days of mourning.
Haniyeh was killed in a guided missile attack in the early hours of Wednesday morning, targeting his residence in Tehran, which he was visiting to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian.
The Revolutionary Guards said in a statement: "The residence of Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the Hamas movement in Tehran, was targeted," killing him and one of his guards.
The statement added: "The causes and dimensions of this incident are being investigated and the results will be announced later."
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