{"id":5698,"date":"2026-07-12T06:33:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T06:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698"},"modified":"2026-07-12T06:33:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T06:33:37","slug":"qatars-former-ruler-sheikh-hamad-bin-khalifa-al-thani-has-died-at-age-74-state-news-agency-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698","title":{"rendered":"Qatar\u2019s former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at age 74, state news agency says"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) \u2014 Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who as ruler of Qatar transformed the tiny Persian Gulf nation into a global player in diplomacy, media and investment, and then shattered tradition by voluntarily turning over power to his son, has died, state media reported. He was 74.<\/p>\n

Read more Khosla family agrees to purchase defending Super Bowl champion Seattle for $9.612B, AP source says<\/a><\/p>\n

The state-run Qatar News Agency reported his death. It offered no cause.<\/p>\n

Sheikh Hamad, who stepped down in June 2013 after 18 years as emir, was the architect of energy-rich Qatar\u2019s stunning ambitions that turned it from a backwater into an international crossroads in less than a generation. Qatar owns the Harrod\u2019s department store in London and founded the powerful Al Jazeera satellite news network.<\/p>\n

Qatar\u2019s political reach today stretches from North Africa to Afghanistan and it hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the world\u2019s most-watched soccer event. Sheikh Hamad, though long out of power, received thunderous applause from Qataris attending its opening match.<\/p>\n

But Qatar\u2019s rise under Sheikh Hamad also rankled regional and Western allies with its independent-minded policymaking, including its close ties to Shiite powerhouse Iran, the Palestinian militant Hamas group and Egypt\u2019s outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.<\/p>\n

Al Jazeera\u2019s blunt reporting, though a much-praised departure from the traditionally deferential habits of Arab media, also was criticized and accused of slanting coverage to suit the views of Qatar\u2019s rulers. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe future lies ahead of you, the children of this homeland, as you usher into a new era where young leadership hoists the banner,\u201d Sheikh Hamad said as he announced his abdication and the carefully crafted transition to his son, the British-educated crown prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who was then 33.<\/p>\n

Sheikh Hamad handed over power to his son<\/h3>\n

The peaceful, voluntary transfer of power was rare in a region where such change usually results from death or overthrow. Sheikh Hamad himself seized control after deposing his father, Sheikh Khalifa, in a bloodless palace coup in 1995.<\/p>\n

His abdication was seen as Qatar\u2019s attempt to stay ahead of Arab Spring-inspired calls for reforms and leadership more attuned to the region\u2019s large and powerful young population. Qatar, a peninsula half the size of New Jersey, is believed to have around 300,000 citizens.<\/p>\n

At the time, Sheikh Hamad also was thought to have been in poor health for years. In December 2015, Qatari officials said he was flown to Switzerland for surgery after breaking a leg while on holiday.<\/p>\n

Sheikh Hamad attended Britain\u2019s military academy, Sandhurst, and became commander of Qatar\u2019s armed forces and defense minister. He was named crown prince in the late 1970s and gradually broadened his duties to include planning for Qatar\u2019s vast oil and gas reserves.<\/p>\n

Sheikh Hamad created Al Jazeera, powerful voice in Arab media<\/h3>\n

After seizing power from his father, who then lived in exile for nearly a decade, Sheikh Hamad quickly moved to open an inward-looking nation to outside influences, epitomized by Al Jazeera, which became a major force in global media. <\/p>\n

Its reporting not only angered other Arab leaders, sometimes to the point of diplomatic rupture, it also riled Washington. Al Jazeera aired statements from the terror network al-Qaida, even as Qatar hosted one of the key Pentagon logistical hubs following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.<\/p>\n

Read more Erling Haaland neutralized by England and subbed off late as Norway\u2019s World Cup run ends<\/a><\/p>\n

Sheikh Hamad, meanwhile, aggressively sought international prestige through sports, an effort crowned by Qatar\u2019s successful bid to host the World Cup, though marred by accusations that it used its huge wealth to woo poor countries\u2019 support.<\/p>\n

Qatar\u2019s brand is also prominent across the sporting world from sponsorship deals with the Spanish football giant Barcelona to a majority stake in the football club Paris Saint-Germain. <\/p>\n

Sheikh Hamad also pushed Qatar Airways to expand into a major international carrier, trying to rival neighboring carrier Emirates. The country\u2019s international airport in Doha, Qatar\u2019s capital, which cost at least $15 billion to construct, also bears his name.<\/p>\n

Qatar became a powerhouse for diplomacy<\/h3>\n

Sheikh Hamad had wide-ranging visions for Qatar\u2019s role as a diplomatic broker. Over the years, its mediation was brought to bear on the conflict in Sudan\u2019s western Darfur region, Lebanese factional feuding and the rift between the Palestinians\u2019 Hamas and Fatah factions.<\/p>\n

In October 2012, Sheikh Hamad became the first head of state to visit the Gaza Strip since Hamas seized control five years previously, promising a total of $400 million in projects and investments. During the visit, Gaza radio stations played a song entitled \u201cThank you, Qatar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qatar also reached out to Hamas\u2019 main foe, Israel. Sheikh Hamad met in 2007 with Israel\u2019s then-foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, at the United Nations General Assembly. Qatar allowed an Israeli trade office to operate in Doha until it was ordered closed in response to Israel\u2019s attacks on Gaza in late 2008. <\/p>\n

While neighboring Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates diplomatically recognized Israel in 2020, Qatar maintained its distance. Israelis at the World Cup also faced a multitude of Palestinian flags and anger over its occupation of lands Palestinians claim for their future state. <\/p>\n

During the Arab Spring, Qatar sent warplanes to the NATO-led missions in Libya against Moammar Gadhafi\u2019s forces and provided key military and financial aid to the successful Libyan rebels. In Syria, Qatar was a main political sponsor of the opposition to then-President Bashar Assad and led calls to increase the flow of weapons to the Syrian rebels.<\/p>\n

However, its backing of Islamists like the Muslim Brotherhood has caused rifts with other nations in the region. Those tensions culminated under Sheikh Tamim, when Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE launched a yearslong boycott of Qatar, in part over the policies of his father that continued during his rule. <\/p>\n

In one of the last initiatives before Sheikh Hamad\u2019s abdication, Qatar formally opened an office for Afghanistan\u2019s Taliban, which set the stage for talks between the United States and the Taliban that ultimately led to NATO and America\u2019s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. <\/p>\n

Read more Conor McGregor suffers early knee injury in return, loses to Max Holloway at UFC 329<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) \u2014 Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who as ruler…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nQatar\u2019s former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at age 74, state news agency says - Raleigh Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Qatar\u2019s former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at age 74, state news agency says - Raleigh Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) \u2014 Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who as ruler...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Raleigh Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-12T06:33:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=5698#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=5698\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eda87157c0d9ccdbb002a999547a6a60\"},\"headline\":\"Qatar\u2019s former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at age 74, state news agency says\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-12T06:33:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=5698\"},\"wordCount\":1064,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=5698#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/40742314c3c7c887e26ccc0350a51136.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=5698#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=5698\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=5698\",\"name\":\"Qatar\u2019s former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at age 74, state news agency says - Raleigh Moving News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=5698#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=5698#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/40742314c3c7c887e26ccc0350a51136.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-12T06:33:37+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eda87157c0d9ccdbb002a999547a6a60\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=5698#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=5698\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=5698#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/40742314c3c7c887e26ccc0350a51136.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/40742314c3c7c887e26ccc0350a51136.webp\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":853},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=5698#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Qatar\u2019s former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at age 74, state news agency says\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Raleigh Moving News\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eda87157c0d9ccdbb002a999547a6a60\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Qatar\u2019s former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at age 74, state news agency says - Raleigh Moving News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Qatar\u2019s former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at age 74, state news agency says - Raleigh Moving News","og_description":"DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) \u2014 Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who as ruler...","og_url":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698","og_site_name":"Raleigh Moving News","article_published_time":"2026-07-12T06:33:37+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/eda87157c0d9ccdbb002a999547a6a60"},"headline":"Qatar\u2019s former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at age 74, state news agency says","datePublished":"2026-07-12T06:33:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698"},"wordCount":1064,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/40742314c3c7c887e26ccc0350a51136.webp","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698","url":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698","name":"Qatar\u2019s former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at age 74, state news agency says - Raleigh Moving News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/40742314c3c7c887e26ccc0350a51136.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-12T06:33:37+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/eda87157c0d9ccdbb002a999547a6a60"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/40742314c3c7c887e26ccc0350a51136.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/40742314c3c7c887e26ccc0350a51136.webp","width":1280,"height":853},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=5698#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Qatar\u2019s former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at age 74, state news agency says"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/","name":"Raleigh Moving News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/eda87157c0d9ccdbb002a999547a6a60","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com"],"url":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}