Hamas released photos from a Doha funeral for its slain officials after Israel’s strike, attended by the Qatari Emir. Notably absent was acting Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya, fueling speculation about his condition.
The Hamas terror organization on Thursday published photos from a funeral in Doha for operatives eliminated in Israel’s unprecedented strike on its headquarters in the Qatari capital. The images showed senior Hamas figures Osama Hamdan and Izzat al-Rishq in attendance — but acting Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya was nowhere to be seen.
Al-Rishq, a longtime member of Hamas’s diplomatic bureau and head of its Arab and Islamic relations office, had previously been named among those inside the targeted building. For years, he operated from Jordan, Syria, and Qatar, making his appearance at the funeral noteworthy.
By contrast, al-Hayya’s absence raises questions about his fate. Once a key Hamas figure in Gaza, he relocated to Qatar after years of activity in the Strip. He rose to acting leadership after the elimination of Yahya Sinwar, having already survived several Israeli assassination attempts since joining Hamas during the First Intifada.
Adding to the intrigue, Hamas spokesman Fozi Barhoum confirmed Thursday that al-Hayya’s wife and daughter-in-law were wounded in the Israeli strike, while his son was killed. His chief of staff, Jihad Labad, and three of his bodyguards were also eliminated.
The combination of his family’s casualties and his absence from the public funeral — despite the presence of other top Hamas leaders and even the Qatari Emir — has fueled speculation that al-Hayya may himself have been injured or killed in the strike, though Hamas has issued no formal statement.
