Tehran, Iran - August 01, 2024

Mournful people from different walks of life in the Iranian capital Tehran on Thursday held a funeral procession for Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in an alleged Israeli attack a day before.

The ceremony officially began at 08:00 local time (0430 GMT) at the University of Tehran, where Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei led the funeral prayers for the Hamas political chief and his security guard, who was also killed in the same attack.

The funeral prayers were attended by many top Iranian commanders and officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, as well as a large number of mourners.

During the procession, a huge number of Iranians, including top officials and military commanders, accompanied the Hamas political leader's body from the University of Tehran to the iconic Azadi square in central Tehran, while chanting slogans in condemnation of Israel and the United States, holding pictures of Haniyeh and late General Qassem Soleimani, the top Iranian commander who was killed in an attack by the United States in Iraq in January 2020, and waving Iranian and Palestinian flags.

At the end of the ceremony, which lasted four hours, the Iranians bade a final farewell to the Hamas political leader before the transfer of his body to the Qatari capital city of Doha to be laid to rest.

While a number of countries have strongly condemned the violation of Iranian airspace and blamed Israel for an act of terror, there are serious concerns that ceasefire negotiations to end Israel's war in Gaza are more fragile than ever. The world's eyes are closely monitoring events in Palestine and the wider region, as tensions also escalate between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah, and fears mount over Iran's expected retaliation.

Analysts believe the next steps taken by various resistance groups across the Middle East could play a crucial role in determining not only the future of Palestine, but the region as a whole.

Haniyeh, who had been invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Iranian president on Tuesday, was killed along with his bodyguard early Wednesday when their residence in Tehran was hit.

Iran accused Israel of carrying out the assassination while Israel has yet to confirm its involvement.

Shotlist:
Tehran, Iran - Aug 1, 2024:
1. Various of people attending funeral procession of assassinated Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh;
2. SOUNDBITE (Farsi, dubbed in English) Reyhaneh (full name not given), Tehran resident:
"It's absolutely wrong. They assassinated our dear guest in our own country.";
3. SOUNDBITE (Farsi, dubbed in English) Fatemeh (full name not given), Tehran resident:
"I demand the most severe and crushing response to this attack. A response that will prevent them from violating our territory again.";
4. SOUNDBITE (Farsi, dubbed in English) Abolfazl (full name not given), Tehran resident:
"Israel martyred our guest in our house. Israel should definitely expect a new operation from Iran.";
Tehran, Iran - Aug 1, 2024
5. Various of people walking, mourning.

[Restriction - No access Chinese mainland/Al-Arabiya/Persian language TV Stations outside Iran. Strictly No Access BBC Persian/VOA Persian/Manoto TV/Iran International TV]