Palestinian Presidency Declares Three-Day Mourning Period, Orders Flags Lowered

The Palestinian Presidency declared Sunday a three-day mourning period across Palestine, ordering flags flown at half-mast, following the death of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir of Qatar, who died at the age of 74. The order was announced through the official Palestinian News and Information Agency, WAFA.

A Relationship Rooted in Decades of Support

The mourning declaration reflects the deep ties Sheikh Hamad built with the Palestinian cause over his 18-year rule. In October 2012, he became the first head of state to visit the Gaza Strip since Hamas took control five years earlier, pledging $400 million in projects and investments during the trip — a moment so significant that Gaza radio stations played a song titled "Thank you, Qatar" in his honor. In recognition of his support, a hospital in Gaza City and towns in both Gaza and southern Lebanon were later named after him.

Sheikh Hamad's engagement with Palestinian affairs began even earlier. He cultivated links with the Palestine Liberation Organisation and visited Yasser Arafat in Gaza in 1999, when the Palestinian administration was still in its early years. His government later maintained contact with Hamas after it seized control of Gaza in 2007, while Qatar continued paying hundreds of millions of dollars toward projects in the territory, including road infrastructure along the coast.

Hamas Also Pays Tribute

Beyond the official Palestinian Presidency declaration, the Palestinian group Hamas separately expressed condolences to Qatar's leadership, describing Sheikh Hamad as a major national and Arab leader and praising his support for the Palestinian cause. A Hamas statement called him "a visionary leader, a man of initiative, and a man of values and genuine humanitarian and Arab principles."

Part of a Broader Wave of Regional Mourning

The Palestinian declaration joins a wide array of official mourning orders issued across the region. Qatar itself announced four days of national mourning, suspending government work and lowering flags nationwide until July 19. The UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain each declared four-day mourning periods with flags lowered domestically and at diplomatic missions abroad, while Lebanon ordered a four-day period with altered broadcast programming, citing Sheikh Hamad's support for the country during past political crises. India separately marked a one-day national mourning, with condolences also pouring in from Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq, Oman, and Libya, among others.

A Legacy Shaped by Regional Diplomacy

Sheikh Hamad ruled Qatar from 1995 until his voluntary abdication in 2013, when he handed power to his son, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in a rare peaceful transition among hereditary Gulf rulers. Beyond his engagement with Palestinian affairs, his government mediated the 2008 Doha Agreement that ended Lebanon's political crisis, the 2011 Doha Document for Peace in Darfur, and reconciliation efforts between Hamas and Fatah, in addition to ceasefire initiatives in Yemen. His rule also saw the 1996 founding of Al Jazeera and Qatar's successful bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, cementing the country's transformation from a small Gulf state into a global diplomatic and economic force.