Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would personally involve himself in the case of the missing young girl Haymanut Kasau, during a meeting with her family in his office.
“I will personally take up the matter. We will bring her back,” Netanyahu told the family in the meeting on Monday.
Kasau, nine years old at the time of her disappearance, has been missing since February 2024. Urging for further action, her parents have repeatedly said that not nearly enough has been done to find their daughter.
The last time Kasau was seen was near an absorption center in Safed. She had been spotted on security camera footage at the center’s entrance. Kasau immigrated from Ethiopia with her family in 2021 and lived in Safed.
Search efforts were initially halted about three weeks after her disappearance and later resumed. Kasau’s family has long argued that all signs point to an abduction.
They have fought to have her classified as a kidnapping victim rather than a missing person – a distinction the family says has significant implications for the scope and tools of the investigation.
Case's first arrest comes nearly two years after the kidnapping
Nearly two years later, in December, the first arrest in connection with Kasau’s disappearance was made. Shortly after, however, the police cleared the suspect of having any connection to the case.
Over a dozen committee meetings in the Knesset on her disappearance have taken place with the attendance of Kasau’s family, police, and lawmakers.
During these meetings, the family has urged the police to take further action, calling for involvement from the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).
Tesfaye, Kasau’s father, told a panel in December, “I am ashamed of the state. My family has no tears left. I ask everyone to make every effort to find my daughter.”
Kasau’s father also said images of his daughter should be posted across the country, as was done with the hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
There should be a dedicated budget for a campaign to find Kasau, he further said.
The child’s mother told the panel, “Our family is trying to continue living, but we cannot do so until my daughter is found. Everyone should feel as though Haymanut is their own daughter.”
Sarah Ben-Nun contributed to this report.