Israeli Court Imposes Publication Ban on Investigation Into Disappearance of Mally and Liel Yahalomi in Vienna

The Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court issued a publication ban on Thursday regarding the investigation into the disappearance of Mally and Liel Yahalomi during their trip to Vienna. The ban, requested by the Israeli police's Lahav 433 unit, will remain in effect until September 13 and prohibits the release of any details related to the case. The investigation was transferred to Lahav 433 on Wednesday night, with two operational command centers active in Israel and abroad, working under the direction of Police Commissioner Dany Levi.

Israeli security officials currently assess that the disappearance is unlikely to be related to nationalist motives. Intelligence checks conducted recently found no evidence of involvement by pro-Palestinian or Iranian terror groups. The Vienna police stated there is "no indication of criminal activity," suggesting the two women may have left voluntarily. Investigators are also examining whether they carried a significant amount of cash. Despite this, the case remains under high-level scrutiny in Vienna, with all investigative leads being pursued.

Phone tracking data from Israel and Austria showed that the women, who observe the Sabbath, were last seen near a city train station and park area during the Sabbath. There is suspicion that location data was deleted from their mobile phones. Meanwhile, the Yahalomi family strongly criticized recent police briefings, accusing authorities of prematurely drawing conclusions about the circumstances of the disappearance. The family stated they possess information contradicting some police claims and emphasized that there has been no unusual activity in the women's bank accounts. They also stressed that there is currently no basis to rule out a terror-related motive.