Ihab al-Ghussein (12 May 1979 – 7 July 2024) was a Palestinian politician who served as the de facto spokesman of the Interior Ministry of the Palestinian Authority based in the Hamas-administered Gaza Strip.

Biography

Al-Gussein was born on 12 May 1979. In 2012, he became the director of the Communications Ministry in the Gaza Strip until 2020, when he was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Labor. He was involved in merging the Executive Force of Hamas into the Palestinian security forces which includes police, national and internal security, civil defense forces and firefighters. Al-Ghussein ordered the release of 150 prisoners who were members of Fatah and other Palestinian factions. During Israel's air strikes against Hamas government buildings in Operation Cast Lead, in which Israel said it killed Hamas operatives launching rockets, al-Ghussein replied that those killed were "Gazans at work, not activists launching rockets as Israel."

Assassination

On 7 July 2024, during the Israel–Hamas war, an Israeli airstrike on the Holy Family Catholic School in Gaza City killed al-Ghussein and three others, according to reports by Palestinian media. Hamas confirmed his death and said an earlier airstrike on a home killed his wife and daughter. Al-Ghussein was 45.