Issam al-Da'alis (, 30 October 1966 – 18 March 2025), also spelled Daalis or Dalis, was a Palestinian politician who served as the head of the Government Administrative Committee of the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

, a position comparable to that of

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

head of government In the Executive (government), executive branch, the head of government is the highest or the second-highest official of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presid ...

. He was assassinated by Israel during the 18 March 2025 attacks.

Biography

Al-Daalis was born in the

Jabalia refugee camp Jabalia Camp () is a Palestinian refugee camp in the North Gaza Governorate of the Gaza Strip, north of Jabalia. It is the largest refugee camp in Palestine, with more than 100,000 inhabitants. The camp only covers an area of 1.4 km2 making i ...

in the

in 1966. He worked in various roles for

UNRWA The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA, pronounced ) is a UN agency that supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees. UNRWA's mandate encompasses Palestinians who fl ...

, including assistant director, member of its employee union, and head of its teachers' department. Between 2012 and 2014, al-Daalis was an advisor to

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

leader

Ismail Haniyeh Ismail Haniyeh (, ; 29 January 1962 – 31 July 2024) was a Palestinian politician who served as third chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from May 2017 until Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, his assassination in July 2024. He also served as ...

. He was a member of the Hamas Shura Council from 2009 to 2013, leading the group's financial and economic department. He was deputy head of Hamas's political movement from 2012 to 2020. In March 2020, al-Daalis was elected to Hamas' Political Bureau in the Gaza Strip and became head of its media department. In June 2021, al-Daalis left his position in the Hamas Political Bureau after the

Palestinian Legislative Council The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of the Palestinian National Authority, Palestinian Authority, elected by the Palestinians, Palestinian residents of the Palestinian territories of the Wes ...

(PLC) elected al-Da'alis as the head of the Government Administrative Committee of the Gaza Strip. Despite performing, from 2021 up until the beginning of the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

, day-to-day work in the Gaza Strip akin to that of a head of government, al-Da'alis, in contrast to most other Hamas's leaders, had not been the target of Western sanctions. Al-Da'alis was reported to have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on 23 July 2024, but his death was not confirmed by Hamas. He was assassinated during the 18 March 2025 attacks, at the age of 58. Hamas confirmed his death.

References

1966 births 2025 deaths Hamas leaders Deaths by Israeli airstrikes during the Israel–Hamas war Assassinated Hamas members Civilians killed in the Israel–Hamas war People from Jabalia Camp Politicians assassinated in 2025 Assassinated Palestinian politicians 21st-century Palestinian politicians Politicians from the Gaza Strip {{Palestine-politician-stub

Biography

See also

References