Hamas vows revenge after IDF kills Gaza Interior Minister Said Sayyam

[Adsos Letter]

SOURCE: Haaretz

An Israel Air Force strike in Gaza on Thursday killed Hamas' Interior Minister Said Sayyam, one of the Islamist militant group's three most senior leaders in the coastal strip.

A Hamas official vowed vengeance for Siam's death. "The blood of Said Sayyam will be a curse on the Zionist entity," Mohammed Nazzal told Al-Jazeera television.

Sayyam, 50, was killed in an air strike that targeted the home of his brother Iyad. Also killed in the attack were his son, his brother, as well as Salah Abu Shreich, head of internal security in the organization and the person responsible for the liaison between the political and military wings of Hamas.

Palestinian sources said Hamas' military commander in Gaza City, Mahmoud Watfah, was also killed in the attack.

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.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1055899.html

[Bodhi BloodWave]

1. i've seen some people on DU, tho mostly elsewhere cheer this as a great victory

It always has me wonder tho, how would the same people have reacted if it had been an rocket from Gaza that killed the Israeli interior minister(or somebody of a similar position) along with some of his family(or alternatively if he had been sniped)

Would they still have considered it a 'legal' target or would there have been yells of murder and assassination(and likely a lot of other things)with demands of retaliation

[The Magistrate]

2. It Would Not Trouble Me In The Slightest, Sir

Leaders of a government entity at war are the most legitimate military targets imaginable. If the various militant bodies of Arab Palestine had laid down a record of mostly attacking military and government targets, my attitude towards them, and the status of their cause, would both be much improved.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

3. And i would have to agree with your stance

on that the leaders of a Government entity are legitimate military targets, tho a lot of people would likely not agree with us there(especially if they are from the country whose leader was targeted).

And while i will openly admit to being strongly Pro-Palestine in regards to this conflict(and quite supportive in general) i agree that it would have been a lot better if the record of Hamas was focused more on military/gov targets(the best would obviously be NO targets on both sides but that is close to an impossibility), Now if only Israel would try to work with the Moderates in Hamas I'd be a lot happier as well

[The Magistrate]

4. Always A Pleasure To Meet A Reasonable Man, Sir!

My preference, too, would be for 'no targets on both sides." Neither side in this can achieve its stated goals by employment of violence; the tool is simply unsuited to the end.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

5. As it is an pleasure to finally have an short exchange with you

I have read a lot of the posts you have written during my time here(and even before i signed up) and always found your posts to be quite informative and well mannered(tho i will admit that the first few posts i read by you had me wondering if your mannerism was mocking or serious since i recall the topic being quite heated and there you were all calm and collected B-) ). My signature likely tells a lot about my mindset tho since i find that quote to be quite accurate and true in very many ways

Going to the topic i think we mostly agree on this which is always a nice thing; here is hoping for a quick and fair solution to the problem for all parties

[Mosby]

6. There are no Hamas moderates

That's the rub.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. One has to wonder since Hamas is not a recognized nation how it has ministers...