Full Breakdown
Family Demands Shin Bet Involvement in 900-Day Search for Missing Girl Haymanot Kasau
8/17/2026, 2:53:12 AM
Family Calls for Shin Bet Investigation
Haymanot Kasau, a 9-year-old who vanished from an absorption centre in Safed more than 900 days ago, remains missing. Her parents, Benchi and Tesfaye Kasau, have repeatedly asked that the investigation be transferred from the Israel Police to the Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency). They argue that the police, led by Inspector-General Danny Levy and Lahav 433 head Commissioner Meni Binyamin, have produced no leads, while the Shin Bet’s intelligence capabilities have been employed in other complex cases such as organized-crime probes and the search for child Yuval Kogan.
Recent High-Profile Search Highlights Disparities
In the week preceding the family’s renewed appeal, the police located mother and daughter Mali and Liel Yahalomi in Argentina after they disappeared from Vienna. The operation involved command centres in Israel and abroad, cooperation with Europol, and “all necessary means and resources,” according to a police statement. After brief questioning, authorities concluded the women had left voluntarily, opened no criminal investigation, and released them. The Kasau family points to this rapid resolution as evidence of unequal effort, noting that the same resources were not applied to their daughter’s case.
Police Response and Resources Deployed
A police source told Maariv that investigators initially saw no criminal or terrorist motive in the Yahalomi disappearance and were surprised by the swift location of the pair. No comparable statement has been issued regarding the ongoing Haymanot investigation, and the family reports a lack of regular updates from the police.
Public Demonstrations and Ongoing Appeals
On August 12, 2026, supporters gathered near the Shin Bet headquarters in Tel Aviv, displaying signs and reading a letter addressed to Shin Bet chief David Zini in Amharic and Hebrew. Demonstrators called for the agency’s intelligence assets to be applied to the Kasau case, echoing the family’s plea for a transfer of authority. The protest underscores continued public pressure on Israeli security institutions to allocate additional investigative capacity to locate Haymanot Kasau.
