The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) participated in a classified status update meeting on the disappearance of young Ethiopian girl Haymanut Kasau at the Knesset’s Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs on Wednesday.
Tesfaye, Kasau’s father, urged that more be done to find his daughter.
“My daughter has been kidnapped for two years, and there is no new information about her. The tears in our eyes have run dry, and our hearts are bleeding,” he said.
“We ask that the case be transferred to the Shin Bet, which has more tools and capabilities, until Haymanut is returned.”
Her family has been requesting the Shin Bet’s involvement in the case, saying the investigation has remained stalled for years under the Israel Police and that not nearly enough has been done to find their daughter.
Two-year anniversary of Ksau's disappearance
The committee convened on the date marking the two-year anniversary of Kasau's disappearance. An open discussion was held shortly after the closed-door session. It was the 15th committee meeting in the Knesset since her disappearance.
Her family arrived wearing yellow and holding signs reading, “Bring Haymanut back home now.”
Kasau, nine at the time of her disappearance, has been missing since February 25, 2024. She was last seen near an absorption center in Safed and was captured on security camera footage at the center’s entrance. The child immigrated to Israel with her family in 2021 and settled in Safed.
Chairperson of the committee MK Gilad Kariv (The Democrats) told the panel, “We are in a race against time to save Haymanut Kasau.”
He explained that about two months ago, a special investigative team was established within the Lahav 433 unit of the Israel Police. Kariv said the team has the “sole mission to deepen the investigation into Haymanut’s disappearance.”
“I welcome the move of transferring the investigation file to the most senior unit of the Israel Police,” he added.
Regarding Shin Bet involvement, Kariv said representatives of the agency participated in the classified discussion and received updates on the case.
“In the upcoming discussions, we intend to continue requesting the presence of Shin Bet personnel and to demand answers to our questions,” Kariv said.
Kasau’s mother broke out in tears during the meeting. “Haymanut is 11 years old today. Help us so that we can celebrate her bat mitzvah with her,” she told the panel.
A representative from the Israel Police said the case within Lahav 433 is being handled by six investigators, one of whom is an Amharic speaker.
“The investigative team received the file along with materials collected over the past two years, and the team is still in the initial stages of reviewing the material. Everything is open to the team. The investigative team has already met twice with the family,” the representative said.
The Aliyah and Integration Ministry, responsible for campaigns to help find Kasau, has faced criticism for not doing enough to raise nationwide awareness, with many in the country unaware of the case.
A ministry representative told the panel that in the coming weeks, a campaign will be launched to raise awareness about Kasau’s disappearance, with hundreds of thousands of shekels to be invested.
“The Aliyah and Integration Ministry and the Jewish Agency are accompanying the family, and we are working to recruit additional parties to join us in funding the awareness campaign,” the representative said.
MK Tsega Melaku (Likud), who has led efforts in the Knesset to raise awareness about Kasau’s case, said she was “ashamed of the situation.”
“Two years have passed, and Haymanut is still not with us. I am ashamed to sit here, and I ask the Kasau family for forgiveness that we have not found your daughter until now,” she said.
“I regret that until now we have not seen a government ministry campaign to raise awareness about Haymanut’s disappearance,” she added.
Nearly two years after her disappearance, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would personally involve himself in Kasau’s case following a meeting with her family in January.
Netanyahu did not release any statement or update regarding Kasau on Wednesday, when two years had passed since her disappearance, nor by Thursday evening at press time.