13.07.2026 01:20
Former Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, passed away at the age of 74. Following his death, which led to the declaration of a 4-day national mourning period in the country, funeral prayers were held at the Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque in Doha. While the coffin of Sheikh Hamad, known as the "Father Emir," was carried on the shoulders of his son, Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the former Emir had left a deep mark on the Islamic world as the only Arab leader to visit Gaza by breaking the siege in 2012.
Qatar's former emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, father of the current Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has passed away at the age of 74. Following the death of Sheikh Hamad, known as the "Father Emir," a 4-day national mourning was declared in the country.
HIS SON, THE QATAR EMIR, CARRIED THE COFFIN
A funeral prayer was held with a large turnout at the Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque in Doha for the former emir who passed away. Emotional moments were experienced during the funeral ceremony, and among those who carried the coffin of the "Father Emir" Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani was his son, Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
THE ONLY ARAB LEADER TO BREAK THE GAZA SIEGE
Sheikh Hamad, whose death plunged the Islamic world into mourning, went down in history as the first and only Arab leader to visit the Gaza Strip after the Six-Day War (Naksa) in 1967. In 2012, during the most severe period of the Gaza Strip blockade, the former emir made a critical visit to the region, laying the foundation for numerous infrastructure and housing projects funded by Qatar.
Following these steps by Sheikh Hamad, Qatar played a leading role in the reconstruction of Gaza. Major projects, especially strategic arteries like Salah al-Din Street and Sea Street, which connect the north and south of the Gaza Strip, are among the most important works of this development initiative launched by the "Father Emir" Sheikh Hamad.