The witness to the murder of a young Ramle woman, who was to testify against the victim's brother, has been missing for three weeks, and police suspect she may have been murdered.

Police believe the witness' brother, Musalah Abu-Ganem, may be involved in her disappearence. He is in police custody, and the Ramle Magistrate's Court extended his remand on Monday for three days, due to lack of real evidence against him.

In February, the body of Hamda Abu-Ganem, 18, was found in her room at home in the Joarish neighborhood of Ramle, shot a number of times in the stomach and legs. The witness, known as Y., saw Rashad Abu-Ganem, Hamda's brother, enter the house where Hamda was, heard the shots, and saw him fleeing the scene. Her testimony is the strongest evidence the police have against the suspect.

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The police tried to prevent release of the report of the witness' disappearance, saying they were concerned it would endanger her life. However, it appears the police are trying to avoid criticism for not providing her with protection.

In the past seven years, eight Abu-Ganem family women have been murdered in the context of "family honor." After Hamda Abu-Ganem's murder, women of the family, many of whom have experienced threats against their lives, decided to testify against Rashad Abu-Ganem.

After the women testified, detectives from the Shefelah District Central Unit offered them police protection. Some accepted it, but subsequently many left their safe-houses and returned to Joarish, although they were warned by police that their lives were in danger. Y. also came
home after a short stay in a safe-house.

The only step the police took after Y. returned to the neighborhood was to summon her brother, and have him sign a pledge that he would protect her.

Y. was hospitalized at Hillel Yaffeh Medical Center in Hadera after she tried to commit suicide, and from there she was transfered to the Be'er Yaakov psychiatric hospital. Her brother had her released within a day and since then, her whereabouts have been unknown.

Her family said Y. had recently married a resident of the South. Other possibilities are being investigated, but a police representative at the remand trial of Y.'s brother said, "it is likely that she, too, has been murdered."