Eisenkot Meets Family of Missing Haymanot Kassau, Pledges to Push for Shin Bet Probe
Yashar! party leader Gadi Eisenkot met with the family of missing girl Haymanot Kassau, promising to urge deeper Shin Bet involvement in the ongoing 935-day investigation.
Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar! party, met on Thursday with the father and older sister of Haymanot Kassau, who disappeared from an absorption center in Safed 935 days ago without a trace. During the meeting, the family requested increased involvement from the Shin Bet in the investigation, and Eisenkot pledged to act through relevant channels to assist.
Family Demands Greater Shin Bet Involvement
The meeting, held at the party offices, was attended by Haymanot's father, Tesfai Kassau, and her older sister, Yaros. According to the headquarters for Haymanot's return, Eisenkot stated he would contact relevant security officials to examine the depth of the agency's involvement and request that maximum efforts be applied to the ongoing investigation.
The Shin Bet has already been assisting police with operations related to the disappearance. In February, it was reported in the Knesset that the case is being handled by a Lahav 433 team with established contact with the Shin Bet. However, the Kassau family has demanded for months that responsibility for the investigation be officially transferred to the internal security service.
"I met today with the family of Haymanot Kassau, who has been missing from her home for 935 days," Eisenkot said after the meeting. "We asked to be of assistance to them, but above all, we asked to look them in the eye and listen — to listen to the agonizing yearning for a little, beloved child whose fate remains unknown."
Living Conditions and Ongoing Search
Following the meeting, Eisenkot also spoke with Jewish Agency Chairman Doron Almog in an attempt to help improve the living conditions of the family, who remain at the absorption center in Safed while awaiting Haymanot's return.
Haymanot was last seen on February 25, 2024, in the area of the absorption center in Safed when she was nine years old. Extensive searches have been conducted since then, but no breakthrough has yet led to her discovery.
