Shin Bet Chief to Meet Family of Missing Girl After Lapid's Appeal

The head of the Shin Bet security agency is reportedly taking steps to arrange a meeting with the family of Haimnot Kassao, a young girl who disappeared in February 2024. The initiative follows an appeal from former Prime Minister Yair Lapid to the Shin Bet chief. In a letter to the agency's head, Lapid highlighted that Kassao vanished from a reception center in Safed and has not been seen since.

Lapid emphasized the family's ongoing uncertainty and acknowledged the Shin Bet's existing assistance to the Israel Police in the case. He stressed that "the family's voice must be heard directly," requesting a meeting so the family could share their feelings and concerns with the Shin Bet chief. Lapid argued that the agency's intelligence and technological capabilities are needed to crack the case, describing it not as a procedural matter but as a "first-rate moral and national duty."

A personal meeting, Lapid stated, would allow the family to voice their distress and receive an update on the search efforts. He urged that the meeting be scheduled as soon as possible. According to reports, the Shin Bet chief is now working to set up this meeting, though no specific date has been announced.