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{{Short description|Palestinian politician (1959–2009)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Said Sayem
|image =
|image_size =
|caption =
|birth_name =
|birth_date = 22 July 1959
|birth_place = [[Al-Shati]], [[Gaza Strip]]
|death_date = 15 January 2009 (aged 49)
|death_place = [[Jabalia]], [[Gaza Strip]]
|residence =
|nationality = Palestinian
|alma_mater =
|occupation =
|years_active =
|boards =
|spouse =
|children =
|parents =
|signature =
}}

'''Said Seyam''' ({{lang-ar|سعيد صيام}}{{lrm}}; 22 July 1959 – 15 January 2009<ref name="bbc">{{cite news|title=Key Hamas leader killed in Gaza| publisher=BBC|date=15 January 2009|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7831870.stm|accessdate=15 January 2009}}</ref>), first name also spelled '''Saeed''' and '''Sayed''' and last name also spelled '''Siam''', was the [[Interior Minister of the Palestinian National Authority|interior minister]] of the [[Palestinian government of March 2006]]. He joined [[Hamas]] and became one of its top commanders. During the 2008–2009 [[Gaza War (2008–09)|Gaza War]], Seyam was killed in an Israeli airstrike in [[Jabalia]]. Seyam was the most senior Hamas member killed in the war, and the most senior Hamas figure killed by Israel since the death of [[Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi]] in April 2004.<ref name=greenberg>{{cite news|last=Greenberg|first=Hanan|title=Israel says killed Hamas interior minister|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3656955,00.html|accessdate=15 December 2012|newspaper=Ynet|date=15 January 2009}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Said Seyam was born on 22 July 1959 in the [[Al-Shati (camp)|Al-Shati]] refugee camp near [[Gaza City]]. His parents fled there during the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]] from their village home of [[al-Jura]], 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]].<ref name="bbco">{{cite news|title=Obituary: Hamas leader Said Siyam| publisher=BBC|date=16 January 2009|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7832249.stm|accessdate=16 January 2009}}</ref>

==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 Nations]]-run schools until 2003.<ref name="bbco"/> He was arrested four times during the [[First Intifada]] from 1987 to 1991.<ref name="aljazeera">[http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/2009115175553898436.html Israeli jets kill Hamas leader] [[Al Jazeera]]. 15 January 2009.</ref> 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]].<ref name="bbco"/><ref name="aljazeera"/>

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.{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}} 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1055947.html|title=Slain Hamas minister was key figure in '07 Gaza coup|work=Haaretz|date=15 January 2009|accessdate=15 December 2012}}</ref> He had evaded at least one attempt by the IDF to kill him in late 2004.{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}} Seyam became one of the members of the Hamas "collective leadership" in Gaza after the 2004 killings of founders [[Ahmed Yassin]] and Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi.<ref name="bbco"/>

Seyam was close to Yassin and Hamas secretary-general [[Khaled Mashal]], that latter whom he accompanied on a diplomatic visit to [[Moscow]], Russia.<ref name="aljazeera"/> 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.<ref name="aljazeera"/> 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 [[Battle of Gaza (2007)|takeover of Gaza]] and was praised by many Gazans for bringing order to Gaza, but accused of torture by others.<ref name="bbco"/>

==Personal life==
He had six children: two boys and four girls.<ref name="bbc"/>

==Death==
Said Seyam was killed on 15 January 2009 in an Israeli air raid on his brother's rented home in [[Jabalia]].<ref name="aljazeera"/> 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.<ref name="bbc"/> 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.<ref name="bbco"/> Hamas members stated on [[Al-Aqsa TV]] that Seyam's "blood will be the fuel for the coming victory [against Israel]".<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/15/gaza.aid.plea/index.html Third-ranking Hamas leader in Gaza killed] ''[[CNN News]]''. 2009.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i4WnR1ouGMJKaALX2-aErYVzpp1g AFP Article]
*[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jan/17/gaza-israelandthepalestinians Said Siam] Obituary from ''[[The Guardian]]''
*[http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200603/12/eng20060312_249948.html "Hamas leader denies disputes with Abbas on new cabinet formation"], Xinhua, 12 March 2006.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120129123558/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1231950868535&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Analysis: Security kingpin held Gaza in iron grip] Analysis of factional struggles between [[Fatah]] and [[Hamas]] in the wake of Hamas' takeover of Gaza in 2007

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seyam, Said}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:2009 deaths]]
[[Category:Hamas members]]
[[Category:Members of the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council]]
[[Category:Government ministers of the Gaza Strip]]
[[Category:Palestinian politicians]]
[[Category:Assassinated Palestinian politicians]]
[[Category:Assassinated Hamas members]]
[[Category:Deaths by Israeli airstrikes]]

Said Seyam - Revision history

->Lettler: added Category:Deaths by Israeli airstrikes using HotCat