Said Issa Siyame

Though not a Muslim, Lady Macleod also intends to fast the month.

Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif at the PalHunger sit in.

On 11 April 1994, undercover troops captured Rassam Siam (or Rassin Bader al Siam), 32, in the Jabalia refugee camp. Siam, a wanted Hamas fugitive, was considered by the military authorities to be the head of the military wing of Hamas in the Jabalia area.

Ramadan is a period not only of fasting and restraint, but also of reflection, judging by posts from many Muslim bloggers.

The fighting cost Hamas two of its top leaders, Saeed Siyam and Nizar Rayan, and significantly weakened its military capabilities.

Growing up in Uganda then, I never knew what hunger was, till the age of about 12, when as a Muslim I started fasting during the month of Ramadhan.

Between four and seven other Arabs, including another wanted fugitive, were reportedly also arrested for helping Siam. (Ha apos aretz, Jerusalem Post, 12 April 1994)

But the recent fast by the Gandhian leader Anna Hazare, culminating in an extraordinary Saturday session of Parliament to pass a resolution acceding to his main demands, marked a dramatic departure in the country s politics.

Four months later, however, the siege has not been lifted, and the Hamas ministers (such as former Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahhar and Interior Minster Said Siyam) who were forced out now feel betrayed and are demanding their jobs back.