Iran’s first vice president Mohammad Reza Aref and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani have underscored the need for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli regime continues its atrocities in the besieged territory.

The two officials made the appeal as they discussed the latest regional developments, particularly the crimes perpetrated by the Israeli regime in Gaza, in a meeting in the Qatari capital Doha on Friday.   

During the meeting, Iran’s proposal to hold an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was also reviewed.

The two sides also discussed bilateral relations and ways to boost and enhance them.

Aref, heading an Iranian delegation, was in Doha to attend the funeral of the head of the political bureau of the Hamas resistance movement, Ismail Haniyeh. It was his first trip abroad as Iran’s vice president. 

Before leaving for Qatar, Aref expressed hope that the resistance will continue until final victory.  

Haniyeh, who was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s newly-elected President Masoud Pezeshkian, alongside other Axis of Resistance leaders, was martyred along with his bodyguard, in an attack early on July 31. He had resided in Doha along with other members of the Hamas political office.

Haniyeh was a key negotiator of Hamas in Gaza ceasefire talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt.

Haniyeh’s body, wrapped in Palestinian flags, was buried at the royal cemetery in Lusail, north of Doha, in a ceremony attended by Aref and acting foreign minister Ali Baqeri Kani, among other dignitaries and representatives from Palestinian factions.

Before that, thousands of mourners including official representatives of several nations held a funeral prayer at Doha’s biggest mosque, Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque, amid tight security.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has warned the Israeli regime of a “harsh response” for Haniyeh’s assassination, saying it was the Islamic Republic’s duty to avenge the Palestinian resistance leader’s blood.