Thousands of people gathered at the Imam Muhammad bin Abdul al-Wahhab Mosque in the Qatari capital, Doha, for the funeral prayers of Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

The 62-year-old was assassinated in Iran along with his bodyguard on Wednesday in what the Palestinian group called “a treacherous Zionist raid”. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

Amid tight security, mourners gathered in the national mosque’s compound hours before Friday noon prayers began to pay their respects to Haniyeh, who lived in Doha for the past several years.

He was a prominent member of the movement for more than 20 years. His legacy in the Palestinian struggle for statehood and freedom from Israeli occupation was undeniable, according to many who were at the mosque.

Black, white, green and red – the colours of the Palestinian flag – dotted the large gathering of men, women and children on Friday.