Ayn Ghazal
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The tomb of Sheikh Shahada
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 Ayn Ghazal
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| Arabic | عين غزال |
| Name meaning | "Spring of the gazelle" |
| Also spelled | 'Ain Ghazal, 'Ein Ghazal |
| Subdistrict | Haifa |
| Coordinates | 32°37′55″N 34°58′03″E / 32.63194°N 34.96750°ECoordinates: 32°37′55″N 34°58′03″E / 32.63194°N 34.96750°E |
| Palestine grid | 147/226 |
| Population | 2170 (1945) |
| Area | 14,628 dunams |
| Date of depopulation | July 24–26, 1948 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
| Current localities | Ein Ayala?Ofer |
Ayn Ghazal (Arabic: عين غزال, "Spring of the Gazelle") was a Palestinian Arab village located 21 kilometers (13 mi) south of Haifa. Depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War as a result of an Israeli military assault during Operation Shoter, the village was then completely destroyed. Incorporated into the State of Israel, it is now mostly a forested area. The Israeli moshav of Ofer ("fawn") was established in 1950 on part of the former village's lands. Ein Ayala, a moshav established in 1949, lies just adjacent; its name being the Hebrew translation of Ayn Ghazal.
Under Ottoman rule like much of the rest of Palestine in the late 19th century, Ayn Ghazal was described as a small village built of stone and mud, with about 450 residents. The villagers cultivated 35 Faddans of land (1 faddan is equal to 100-250 dunams). In the early twentieth century the number of inhabitants was given as 883, and a mosque and a school in the village was noted by travellers.
Much of the land in the Ayn Ghazal and the neighbouring villages of Jaba', Khubiza, Tira, and Sarafand was owned by the sons of Abdel al-Latif al-Salah, who himself owned the entire village of Ji'ara. All these villages became entirely dependent upon the Salah family because of loans they took from them or as a result of the family's commercial activities.
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