Hundreds attend Yahya Sinwar’s funeral in Karachi, condemn western support for Israel’s war

People gather for the funeral prayer of Yahya Sinwar in Karachi, Pakistan on October 19, 2024. (AN Photo)

• Reportedly the architect of last year’s Hamas attack in Israel, Sinwar was killed on battlefield on Thursday
• People attending the symbolic funeral say Palestinians remain steadfast even after one year of Israel’s war

KARACHI: Hundreds of people gathered in Karachi on Saturday for the funeral prayer of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader killed on the battlefield two days ago, criticizing the United States and European countries for backing Israel’s war and asserting that the loss of leadership would not stop Palestinian resistance.
Sinwar was widely regarded as the architect of last year’s attack in Israel that killed about 1,200 people and led to the taking of nearly 250 hostages. Hamas described the cross-border raid as a response to the deteriorating conditions of Palestinians under Israeli occupation.
The incident ignited a full-scale Israeli military assault on the Gaza Strip, which has lasted for over a year, killing about 43,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and destroying hospitals, residential neighborhoods and refugee camps while uprooting millions in the region.
Sinwar survived the Israeli airstrikes, fighting against heavily armed soldiers until the end. Israeli forces tried to pinpoint his location inside a badly damaged building in Gaza using a drone. In his final act of defiance, however, he threw a stick at the drone before his death.
“The mountain of resilience, Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hamas, has laid down his life while resisting Israeli terrorism in Palestine and has now returned to his Lord,” Muneem Zafar Khan, the top leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) religio-political party in Karachi, which arranged the symbolic funeral, told the people.
“The United States, Britain, Germany and France are all aligned against the oppressed,” he added.
Khan said despite more than a year of resistance, Palestinian children and mothers remain steadfast.
The JI leader said the US, Britain and Israel must understand they cannot defeat the Palestinian resistance despite all their efforts.
A Hamas spokesman, Khaled Qadumi, also addressed the gathering over the phone, describing “the stories of martyrs” as a beacon of hope for peace and the beginning of the journey to freedom.
“The battle between faith and disbelief continues, and the criminals are celebrating Yahya Sinwar’s martyrdom,” he said. “The forces of falsehood believe they have won, but the blood of Yahya Sinwar and all martyrs will bear fruit.”