Family of Kidnapped Girl Calls for Red Balloons on First Day of School

As Israel prepares to open the new school year with over two million students returning to classrooms on Tuesday, the family of Haimnot Kaso, who remains held captive, is urging the public to raise awareness of her plight. Haimnot is still missing from home and will not be able to join her peers for the start of the school year.

Ahead of the academic year's commencement, the Kaso family and the 'Campaign for Haimnot' are appealing to all Israeli students, teachers, and citizens to bring a red balloon to school on the first day. The red balloon is an international symbol for kidnapped children. The initiative aims to have red balloons displayed in every classroom, business, and home across Israel to highlight Haimnot's continued absence.

Haimnot's father, Tesfaye Kaso, expressed his pain, stating, "The first day of school is always an exciting day, a happy day, and for us, it is another difficult day. Haimnot loves to learn, she is a smart girl, but Haimnot is not starting fifth grade as she was supposed to. I want and ask that you see Haimnot everywhere. I want the red balloons to paint the sky and amplify our cry so she can return home."

In recent days, the campaign has gained traction on social media, with artists, illustrators, public figures, and the National Youth Council calling on students and school principals to join the initiative. Activists and the family hope that the prominent display of red balloons on the first day of school will place the issue of her disappearance at the forefront of public discourse and remind everyone of her profound absence at home and in the classroom.