Protesters rally in Somalia to condemn killing of Hamas leader

​​​​​​​By Mohamed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) -Protesters in Somalia rallied Friday to condemn the assassination of Hamas’ Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh by Israel.

Students, business people and religious clerics came out in Mogadishu to show solidarity with the Palestinian people who have been facing an Israeli onslaught in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, against Israel.

Protesters were led by famous Somali religious scholar Sheikh Abdi Hayi who chanted against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“There is no God but Allah, Netanyahu is an enemy of Allah,” protesters chanted.

The Somalia government strongly condemned Haniyeh’s assassination on Wednesday and said it was a violation of international law.

Haniyeh, who was in the Iranian capital of Tehran to attend the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian, was killed by an airstrike that targeted the building where he was staying.

Hamas and Iran have blamed Israel for the attack but Tel Aviv has neither claimed nor denied responsibility.

“Somalia fears an escalating pace of violence that could lead to more violations against civilians,” said the Somali Foreign Ministry, expressing “heartfelt condolences” to the Palestinian people.

Mogadishu condemns political killings and violence “in all its forms, whatever its motives are,” it said in a statement.