HH the Amir Meets With Saddam Haftar

DOHA - July 15, 2026: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met in his office at Lusail Palace on Wednesday evening with Lt. Gen. Saddam Khalifa Haftar, who offered condolences on the passing of the Late Father Amir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who died Sunday at the age of 74. Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani attended the meeting.

A Notable Libyan Presence

The meeting with Saddam Haftar - a senior commander in the eastern Libyan military hierarchy and son of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar - added to a broad Libyan presence among those paying respects to Qatar during the mourning period. Earlier in the week, Sheikh Tamim received Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, based in Tripoli, on Monday evening, and Chairman of Libya's Presidential Council Mohamed Al Menfi on Tuesday. The reception of figures from across Libya's divided political and military landscape reflects Qatar's longstanding role in Libyan affairs and its engagement with multiple parties in the country.

The Final Evening of a Global Procession

Wednesday marked the third and final scheduled day of condolence receptions at Lusail Palace, capping an extraordinary procession of world leaders who traveled to Doha since Monday. On the same final day, Sheikh Tamim received UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, and Britain's Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, among others.

Across the three days, mourners included Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan, Sudan's Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Bahrain's King Hamad, Kuwait's Crown Prince, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and the leaders of Kazakhstan, Rwanda, the Maldives, Ethiopia, Morocco, Senegal, Mauritania, and the Comoros - a testament to the late Father Amir's wide-reaching influence across the world stage.

Sheikh Hamad's Legacy

Sheikh Hamad ruled Qatar from 1995 until voluntarily handing power to Sheikh Tamim in 2013, one of the rare peaceful transfers of leadership in the Gulf. His 18 years in power transformed Qatar into one of the world's leading liquefied natural gas exporters and an influential diplomatic power, and saw the founding of Al Jazeera in 1996 and the successful bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatar declared four days of national mourning beginning Sunday, with flags at half-mast and government work suspended until employees return on Sunday, July 19.