Palestinian sources said Thursday that an Israel Air Force strike in Gaza City has killed two of Hamas' most senior officials, including the group's Interior Minister Said Siam and the head of its security apparatus, Salah Abu Shreh. The IAF strike was on the house of Siam's brother, who was also killed.

Siam was the effective founder of the Hamas-led police force. He pushed for Hamas' bloody 2006 coup in Gaza, during which it ousted the rival Fatah faction from power. Siam was the number three behind Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud Zahar, and was seen by many as the most extreme of the triumvirate.