Slain chief was feared, respected

JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas security chief Said Siam was one of the Islamic militant group’s top five leaders in the Gaza Strip and a key figure in its violent takeover of the Palestinian territory in 2007.

Siam was widely feared for cracking down on opponents, but as interior minister, he was also respected by residents for his ability to impose order. Before Hamas seized power 18 months ago, gun-toting thugs ruled Gaza’s streets and clans battled each other with assault rifles.

The 50-year-old Siam, who died Thursday in Gaza from an Israeli airstrike, did not look like a typical Hamas leader. He sported a short beard, dark turtlenecks and black sports jackets, rather than the Arab robes worn by some of his colleagues.

Born in 1959 in Gaza’s Shati refugee camp, he worked as a math and science teacher at local U.N.-run schools and became a leader of the local teachers union. He joined Hamas in the 1980s as one of its earliest members.

Siam was active in the first Palestinian uprising against Israel, which erupted in 1987. He headed a Hamas branch that hunted and killed suspected Palestinian informers for Israel.

Siam rose through Hamas’ ranks, preaching at a local mosque and ultimately becoming a chief negotiator for the militant group in dealings with Egyptian and Iranian officials, with whom he enjoyed warm relations.

He was elected to the Palestinian parliament in 2006, winning the most votes of any candidate.

After Hamas’ sweeping victory in those elections, the power struggle between Hamas and Fatah intensified. Siam set up the Executive Force, a security apparatus that developed into Hamas’ police after the militants seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007.