Awesome! Many leaders have been killed this time around, that means a shout out has to go out for Israeli intel.
An Israel Air Force strike in the center of Gaza City on Thursday killed Hamas Interior Minister Said Siam. Palestinian sources said that the head of Islamist militant group's security apparatus, Salah Abu Shreh, and its military commander in Gaza City, Mahmoud Watfah, were also killed in the attack.
The IAF strike was on the house of Siam's brother, who was also killed. Hamas TV later confirmed that Siam had been killed.
Six other Hamas operatives were wounded in the air strike in the heart of Gaza City, the sources said. The IDF Southern Command ordered the airstrike on the basis of precise intelligence provided by the Shin Bet security service.
A Hamas official vowed vengeance for Siam's death. "The blood of Said Siam will be a curse on the Zionist entity," Mohammed Nazzal told Al-Jazeera television.
Siam was the effective founder of the Hamas-led police force. He pushed for Hamas' bloody 2006 coup in Gaza, during which it ousted the rival Fatah faction from power.
As interior minister in Hamas' government in Gaza, Siam oversaw thousands of security agents and was widely feared. He was the number three behind Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud Zahar, and was seen by many as the most extreme of the triumvirate.
he airstrike on Siam was apparently an attempt by Israel to deliver an image of victory in the offensive against Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces understands that Hamas' agreement in principle to the Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza signals that the campaign is nearing its end.
Outlining his policies, Siam told Reuters in an interview in March 2006: "The day will never come when any Palestinian would be arrested because of his political affiliation or because of resisting the occupation.
"On the contrary, the new Hamas regime will seek to better coordinate the Palestinian assault on the Jewish state."
