The Palestinian Hamas has pledged to wreak an awful revenge on Israel for killing the movement's interior minister, Saeed Siyam. "His blood will not have been shed in vain. We will respond with actions and not words," said the armed wing of Hamas in a statement on Thursday.Saeed Siyam, was killed Thursday afternoon in an Israeli air strike on his brother's home in al-Sheikh Ridwan district in Beit Lahiyah. Siam's brother Ayad and his son were also killed in the strike. Palestinian sources reported that 20 other people were injured in the attack.
Siyam, 50, is the most senior Hamas figure assassinated in Operation Cast Lead so far. He is also considered the most senior Hamas figure killed by Israel since the assassination of Dr. Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi in 2004.