A large-scale and dramatic search operation was conducted in recent days following the mysterious disappearance of Fatma al-Rajabi (“Umm Raji”), a 61-year-old resident of the Issawiya neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Al-Rajabi, a well-known, much-loved and highly respected figure in East Jerusalem, had worked for years at Al-Makassed Hospital on the Mount of Olives, where she prepared and washed bodies ahead of burial.
Large forces from the Jerusalem District Police and Border Police focused their searches on open areas and various locations around Jerusalem, in an attempt to understand what had really happened to her.
Al-Rajabi’s sudden disappearance also prompted a large grassroots mobilization by the Palestinian community in East Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Hundreds of Palestinian volunteers, alongside members of her family, community activists and a rescue team, set up an independent search command center and divided the search zones among themselves. Searches were carried out in neighborhoods, along major traffic routes, at crossings and in wooded areas. Volunteers also deployed private drones and off-road vehicles to scan difficult terrain.
At the same time, volunteers went from house to house and business to business along routes connecting East Jerusalem with areas of the West Bank around Anata, Al-Eizariya and the Mount of Olives, independently collecting footage from private security cameras.
Alongside the searches on the ground, the theories surrounding her fate appeared to take a turn. At first, the possibility was raised that the disappearance was linked to a medical incident or personal distress, but during the week concern grew over a different scenario.
Meanwhile, family members have criticized the authorities, saying they dragged their feet and showed indifference during the first two days after the disappearance was reported, while alleging discrimination in the handling of appeals from East Jerusalem residents. The family also demanded that the Israel Security Agency, Shin Bet, become involved.
Police, for their part, said that all available resources and the most advanced means had been deployed in the effort to locate her. Jerusalem District Police Commander Major General Avshalom Peled held a special situation assessment on Wednesday, and the Jerusalem District Police stated: “From the moment the report was received regarding concern for the missing woman’s life, a variety of actions were carried out to locate her and to uncover the truth surrounding the circumstances of the incident.”
