A 73rd minute half-volley from Zakareya was enough for the Cairo giants to claim their second straight win after three successive goalless league draws.
The 26-year-old proved the hero for the second game running, having assisted a goal and scored another to help Zamalek beat Smouha 2-0 deep into stoppage time last week.
The win is also the second in a row for manager Jaime Pacheco, appointed earlier this month to replace Hossam Hassan, who made his Ittihad debut this evening.
Zamalek climbed five spots in the league table to lie third on 12 points, just two adrift of leaders Haras El-Hodoud, while Ittihad remained 16th in the 20-team table.