World leaders travel to Qatar to mourn former emir Sheikh Hamad

Several world leaders, including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Speaker of Azerbaijan's Parliament, traveled to Qatar in July 2026 to offer condolences over the death of former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. El-Sisi arrived in Qatar and later returned to Egypt after also visiting Bahrain. The Azerbaijani speaker conveyed the condolences of his country's prime minister. The visits underscore the regional significance of Sheikh Hamad, who ruled Qatar from 1995 to 2013.