850 Days After Haimanut’s Disappearance, Family Campaign Says New Lead Reached Police

Eight hundred and fifty days after Haimanut Kassau disappeared from an absorption center in Safed in February 2022, a joint rally was held Wednesday evening near the Tel Aviv Museum calling for urgent action to find her. The event was organized by the campaign headquarters working for her return together with the Families of the Hostages headquarters.

A source close to the campaign said that on Tuesday a new investigative lead was passed to the police team handling the case, and should be examined thoroughly. According to the campaign, this is the first time it has publicly said that fresh, updated information is still being received about Kassau more than two years after she vanished.

Attorney Dror Matityahu, who advises Kassau’s family and the campaign legally, criticized the pace of the investigation. He said the disappearance case was transferred to Lahav 433 only about six months ago, more than a year and a half late, and questioned whether all possible steps had been taken earlier. He added, “The transfer of the investigation to a dedicated team in Lahav 433 raised hope, but in this case time is the enemy.”

Matityahu also called on police to keep the family informed: “Investigators have a human and moral duty to update the family regularly. A family living this nightmare deserves to know what has been done and where the investigation is headed.” Speakers at the rally also included representatives of hostage families, among them Avichai Brodets, Ayelet Goldin, Bat Sheva Yahalomi and Einav Zangauker. Ayelet Goldin, sister of the late IDF officer Hadar Goldin, said, “Haimanut is the story of all of us. A nine-year-old girl leaving home and disappearing is not only her family’s story, it is a picture of Israeli society. We learned that we have power and responsibility, and we will put it at the center.”