Hajirat, Mustafa

Son of Fatma and Husin. Born on July 1, 1947, in the village of Hujirat, near the village of Kibbutz Yodfat. Mustafa grew up in his village in a traditional home, and attended elementary school. After completing his studies, he went to work and helped support the family with agricultural work, sheep, etc. The family lived in a traditional encampment, and after a while built a stone house. Mustafa loved the countryside, the fields and the mountains around the village. On many trips, he learned the profession of the explorers. When he was nineteen, Mustafa married Sabha. A year and a half later, his eldest son Hussein was born. In January 1968, Mustafa enlisted in the Border Police, and was assigned as a tracker in the Beit She’an sector. In those days it was a very hot sector, in which there were many confrontations and many casualties on our forces. His family wanted him to move to another sector, but he was not convinced, and continued to serve there. Mustafa was very proud of his work, and saw the move to another place as a violation of his dignity and pride. Mustafa’s commanders greatly appreciated the motivation, the spirit of volunteerism, and the great resourcefulness he enjoyed. He was a man full of joie de vivre, sociable, always inclined to help his many friends, both villagers and his comrades. He was admired by his family, who loved and respected him greatly. On September 13, 1968, Mustafa participated in a patrol force on the Jordanian border, near Kfar Ruppin. Suddenly, a blaze of fire and bazookas were fired from Jordanian territory towards the patrol. Mustafa was hit by a bullet in the back, was transferred to the Afula hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was twenty-one years old. He was brought to eternal rest in the Bir al-Maqso cemetery, in the family plot. He left behind a wife and son, parents, brothers and sisters. Mustafa’s son, Hussein, died of a disease two months after his father’s death.