Al-Azhar condemns assassination of Hamas leader Haniyeh

Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Egypt’s top Sunni Islamic scholarly institution, yesterday condemned “the heinous crime committed by the treacherous occupying entity” following the assassination of Palestinian leader Ismail Haniyeh in what is believed to be an Israeli air strike on Iran.

Hamas announced the death of its political bureau chief, Haniyeh, early yesterday in a “Zionist raid” on his residence in Tehran. Haniyeh was in Iran to attend the inauguration of Iran’s president-elect Masoud Pezeshkian.

Al-Azhar said in a statement that “the martyr and fighter dedicated his life to defending his land and the cause of Arabs and Muslims, which is the steadfast and free Palestine.”

The statement emphasised that “such assassinations will not weaken the resolve of the struggling Palestinian people, who have made – and continue to make – great sacrifices to reclaim their rights and establish an independent State of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital.”

OPINION: Why did Israel kill Ismail Haniyeh, and what could be the repercussions?