Full Breakdown
Parents of Missing Safed Girl Seek Shin Bet Takeover After 911 Days
8/25/2026, 4:26:44 AM
Appeal to Shin Bet Over 911-Day Disappearance
On the 911th day since nine-year-old Haymanot Kasau vanished from the Jewish Agency absorption centre in Safed, her parents, Benchi Kasau and Tesfaye Kasau, sent a letter to Shin Bet director David Zini requesting that the security agency assume direct responsibility for the case. The parents asked for a personal meeting to present what they describe as “failures” in the police investigation and to explain why, in their view, the Israel Police have offered no information, direction or theory about the disappearance that occurred on the evening of February 25, 2024.
Investigation History and Police Involvement
The case was initially handled by the Northern District police and later transferred to the national Lahav 433 crime-fighting unit after Police Commissioner Daniel Levy ordered the move. A dedicated team was created to reinvestigate, including a brief probe of a 63-year-old Beersheba man that was ultimately dismissed as unrelated. The family says they have received no substantive response from the police commissioner, Lahav 433, or the Northern District throughout the two-and-a-half-year period.
Recent Successful Searches Cited by the Family
The Kasau family referenced several recent disappearances that concluded with the missing persons found alive. In July, four-year-old Yuval Kogan was located after Shin Bet assisted the search near the Ashkelon coast. More recently, Israeli mother Mali Yahalomi and daughter Liel Yahalomi were rescued in Argentina following an international effort led by Lahav 433 and foreign law-enforcement agencies. The parents expressed relief for those families while noting that similar resources have not yielded results in Haymanot’s case.
Official Response and Current Status
As of the latest reporting, Shin Bet has not publicly confirmed taking over the investigation, and no official comment from Director Zini has been released. The case remains open, with the dedicated Lahav 433 team continuing its inquiries, while the Kasau family continues to press for a transfer of authority to the security agency.
