Said Seyam | |
|---|---|
| Interior Minister of the Gaza Strip | |
| In office June 2007 – January 2009 | |
| Prime Minister | Ismail Haniyeh |
| Preceded by | Office Created |
| Succeeded by | Fathi Hamad |
| Interior Minister of the Palestinian National Authority | |
| In office March 2006 – March 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Nasser Yousef |
| Succeeded by | Hani Talab al-Qawasmi |
| Member of thePalestinian Legislative Council | |
| In office January 2006 – January 2009 | |
| Constituency | Gaza |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 July 1959 |
| Died | 15 January 2009 (aged 49) |
| Cause of death | Israeli airstrike |
| Nationality | Palestinian |
| Political party | Hamas |
| Children | 6 (2 sons, 4 daughters) |
| Education | Al-Quds Open University |
Said Seyam (Arabic:سعيد صيام; 22 July 1959 – 15 January 2009[1]), first name also spelledSaeed andSayed and last name also spelledSiam, was theinterior minister of thePalestinian government of March 2006. He joinedHamas and became one of its top commanders. During the 2008–2009Gaza War, Seyam was killed in an Israeli airstrike inJabalia. Seyam was the most senior Hamas member killed in the war, and the most senior Hamas figure killed by Israel since the death ofAbdel Aziz al-Rantisi in April 2004.[2]
Said Seyam was born on 22 July 1959 in theAl-Shati refugee camp nearGaza City. His parents fled there during the1948 Arab–Israeli War from their village home ofal-Jura, nearAshkelon. Following his secondary education in Gaza City, he gained a diploma in sciences and maths, followed by a bachelor's degree in Islamic education from theAl-Quds Open University.[3]
It is unknown when Seyam joined Hamas, but he was one of the earliest members. Seyam held a job as a teacher at variousUnited Nations-run schools until 2003.[3] He was arrested four times during theFirst Intifada from 1987 to 1991.[4] In 1992, he was expelled from thePalestinian territories byIsrael tosouthern Lebanon and upon his return in 1995, Seyam was arrested by thePreventive Security Service (PSS) dominated byFatah.[3][4]
Seyam was reported by Hamas as one of the pioneer of mortar andQassam rocket attacks on Jewish settlements in theGaza Strip, which caused them to be virtually besieged from 2001 to their evacuation by Israel in September 2005.[citation needed] According to his fighters, Seyam was injured three times during that period, although the causes of these injuries were not disclosed. Seyam was the second of Hamas' top five officials to be killed during Israel's offensive.[5] He had evaded at least one attempt by the IDF to kill him in late 2004.[citation needed] Seyam became one of the members of the Hamas "collective leadership" in Gaza after the 2004 killings of foundersAhmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi.[3]
Seyam was close to Yassin and Hamas secretary-generalKhaled Mashal, that latter whom he accompanied on a diplomatic visit toMoscow, Russia.[4] After the parliamentary elections in 2006, Seyam was appointedInterior Minister of the Palestinian National Authority, forming thePalestinian government of March 2006. It also put him in charge of 13,000 police and security forces.[4] He represented the Gaza electoral district of thePalestinian Legislative Council as a Hamas member after being elected with the most votes for any single candidate. In June 2007, he created the Executive Force, a paramilitary organization to rivalMohammed Dahlan's PSS. It played a key role in thetakeover of Gaza and was praised by many Gazans for bringing order to Gaza, but accused of torture by others.[3]
He had six children: two boys and four girls.[1]
Said Seyam was killed on 15 January 2009 in an Israeli air raid on his brother's rented home inJabalia.[4] Also killed in the strike were his son, brother and two other Hamas officials: the interior ministry's security director Saleh Abu Sharkh and the local leader of the Hamas militia, Mahmoud Abu Watfah.[1] Hamas spokesmanSami Abu Zuhri stated "Some of our leaders will fall, some of our people will fall, but the flag of resistance won't fall" in response to Seyam's death.[3] Hamas members stated onAl-Aqsa TV that Seyam's "blood will be the fuel for the coming victory [against Israel]".[6]
| Preceded by | Interior Minister of the Gaza Strip June 2007 – January 2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Nasser Yousef | Interior Minister of the Palestinian National Authority March 2006 – March 2007 | Succeeded by |
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