Said Seyam
Encyclopedia
Said Seyam was the Interior Minister
of the Palestinian government of March 2006
. He joined Hamas
, and became one of its top commanders. During the Gaza War, Seyam was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Jabalia
.
, near Ashkelon
. 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 the Al-Quds Open University
. He had six children: two boys and four girls.
-run schools until 2003. He was arrested four times during the First Intifada
from 1987 to 1991. In 1992, he was expelled from the Palestinian territories
by Israel
to southern Lebanon
and upon his return in 1995, Seyam was arrested by the Preventive Security Service
(PSS) dominated by Fatah
.
Seyam was reported by Hamas as one of the pioneer of mortar and Qassam rocket
attacks on Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip
, which caused them to be virtually besieged from 2001 to their evacuation by Israel in September 2005. 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. He had evaded at least one attempt by the IDF to kill him in late 2004. Seyam became one of the members of the Hamas "collective leadership" in Gaza after the 2004 killings of founders Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel-Aziz Rantissi.
Seyam was close to Yassin and Hamas secretary-general Khaled Meshaal, that latter whom he accompanied on a diplomatic visit to Moscow
. After the parliamentary elections in 2006, Seyam was appointed Interior Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
forming the Palestinian government of March 2006
. It also put him in charge of 13,000 police and security forces. He represented the Gaza electoral district of the Palestinian 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 rival Mohammed Dahlan
's PSS. It played a key role in the take-over of Gaza
and was praised by many Gaza
ns for bringing order to Gaza, but accused of torture by others.
. 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. Hamas spokesman Sami 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. Hamas members stated on Al-Aqsa TV
that Seyam's "blood will be the fuel for the coming victory [against Israel]".
Interior Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
The Interior Ministry of the Palestinian National Authority is the branch of the Palestinian National Authority cabinet in charge of the security and statistics of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics is a sub-branch of the Interior Ministry that has the...
of the Palestinian government of March 2006
Palestinian government of March 2006
This is the list of members of the Palestinian National Authority cabinet that was formed by Ismail Haniya on 29 March 2006. This new government is formed of Hamas members and of independents associated with it.[1]...
. He joined Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, and became one of its top commanders. During the Gaza War, Seyam was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Jabalia
Jabalia
Jabalia also Jabalya is a Palestinian city located north of Gaza City. It is under the jurisdiction of the North Gaza Governorate, in the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Jabalia had a population of 82,877 in mid-year 2006...
.
Personal life
Said Seyam was born in 1959 in the al-Shati Refugee Camp near Gaza City. His parents had fled there during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War from their village home of al-JuraAl-Jura
Al-Jura was a Palestinian village that was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, located approximately two kilometers west of Majdal . In 1945, the village had a population of approximately 2,420 mostly Muslim inhabitants...
, near Ashkelon
Ashkelon
Ashkelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age...
. 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 the Al-Quds Open University
Al-Quds Open University
Al-Quds Open University is an administratively, academically and financially independent public university. According to the university's website, it was established in Amman, Jordan, by a decree issued by the Palestinian Liberation Organization and started operating in the Palestinian territories...
. He had six children: two boys and four girls.
Hamas membership
It is unknown when Seyam joined Hamas, but he was one of the early members. Seyam held a job as a teacher at various United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
-run schools until 2003. He was arrested four times during the First Intifada
First Intifada
The First Intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The uprising began in the Jabalia refugee camp and quickly spread throughout Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem....
from 1987 to 1991. In 1992, he was expelled from the Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
by Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
to southern Lebanon
Southern Lebanon
Southern Lebanon is the geographical area of Lebanon comprising the South Governorate and the Nabatiye Governorate. These two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s...
and upon his return in 1995, Seyam was arrested by the Preventive Security Service
Preventive Security Service
The Preventive Security Force is the official security apparatus of the Palestinian National Authority. It was established in 1994 by President Yasser Arafat in accordance with the Oslo Accords....
(PSS) dominated by Fatah
Fatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
.
Seyam was reported by Hamas as one of the pioneer of mortar and Qassam rocket
Qassam rocket
The Qassam rocket is a simple steel artillery rocket developed and deployed by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas. Three models have been produced and used between 2001 and 2011....
attacks on Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
, which caused them to be virtually besieged from 2001 to their evacuation by Israel in September 2005. 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. He had evaded at least one attempt by the IDF to kill him in late 2004. Seyam became one of the members of the Hamas "collective leadership" in Gaza after the 2004 killings of founders Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel-Aziz Rantissi.
Seyam was close to Yassin and Hamas secretary-general Khaled Meshaal, that latter whom he accompanied on a diplomatic visit to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. After the parliamentary elections in 2006, Seyam was appointed Interior Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
Interior Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
The Interior Ministry of the Palestinian National Authority is the branch of the Palestinian National Authority cabinet in charge of the security and statistics of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics is a sub-branch of the Interior Ministry that has the...
forming the Palestinian government of March 2006
Palestinian government of March 2006
This is the list of members of the Palestinian National Authority cabinet that was formed by Ismail Haniya on 29 March 2006. This new government is formed of Hamas members and of independents associated with it.[1]...
. It also put him in charge of 13,000 police and security forces. He represented the Gaza electoral district of the Palestinian Legislative Council
Palestinian Legislative Council
The Palestinian Legislative Council, the legislature of the Palestinian Authority, is a unicameral body with 132 members, elected from 16 electoral districts in the West Bank and Gaza...
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 rival Mohammed Dahlan
Mohammed Dahlan
Mohammed Dahlan born on September 29, 1961 in Khan Younis Refugee Camp, Khan Younis, Gaza Strip also known by the kunya or nom de guerre Abu Fadi is a Palestinian politician, the former leader of Fatah in Gaza...
's PSS. It played a key role in the take-over of Gaza
Battle of Gaza (2007)
The Battle of Gaza was a military conflict between Hamas and Fatah that took place between June 7 and 15, 2007 in the Gaza Strip. After winning Palestinian legislative elections in 2006, Hamas and Fatah formed the Palestinan authority national unity government in 2007, headed by Ismail Haniya. In...
and was praised by many Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
ns for bringing order to Gaza, but accused of torture by others.
Death
Said Seyam was killed on January 15, 2009, in an Israeli air raid on his brother's rented home in JabaliaJabalia
Jabalia also Jabalya is a Palestinian city located north of Gaza City. It is under the jurisdiction of the North Gaza Governorate, in the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Jabalia had a population of 82,877 in mid-year 2006...
. 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. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri
Sami Abu Zuhri
Sami Abu Zuhri is a senior spokesman for the Palestinian political party Hamas. Zuhri, a relatively unknown member of Hamas, gained notoriety on May 19, 2006, when Palestinian security and customs officials discovered he had 640,000 euros on his person; another report claimed he held a larger sum...
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. Hamas members stated on Al-Aqsa TV
Al-Aqsa TV
Al-Aqsa TV is the official Hamas-run television channel. Its programming includes news talk, children's shows , and religiously inspired entertainment...
that Seyam's "blood will be the fuel for the coming victory [against Israel]".
External links
- AFP Article
- Said Siam Obituary from The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- "Hamas leader denies disputes with Abbas on new cabinet formation", Xinhua, 12 March 2006.
- Analysis: Security kingpin held Gaza in iron grip Analysis of factional struggles between FatahFatahFataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
and HamasHamasHamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
in the wake of internal Palestinian coup in 2007.