822 days after the disappearance of Haymanot Kasau, the nationwide campaign intended to raise awareness of the case has still not been launched. At a follow-up hearing held in the Knesset's Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs, committee chair MK Gilad Kariv (The Democrats) sought to determine whether any progress had been made on the issue. However, during the discussion it became clear that despite pressure from the family, activists, and committee members, the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and the Jewish Agency for Israel are delaying the launch of the campaign.
Kasau has been missing since February 2024. She was 9 years old at the time and was last seen in the area of the immigrant absorption center in Tzfat, where she lived with her family. Since then, her whereabouts and fate remain unknown.
Although the investigation file was transferred several months ago to the central police investigative unit of Lahav 433, there has still been no significant breakthrough in the investigation. During the previous follow-up hearing of the Knesset's Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs, which focused on Kasau’s disappearance, the police stated that there had been developments in the investigation and that several new leads were being examined. However, according to family members, they were not updated on this information at all.
“We have been demanding a meaningful campaign for two years”
Tesfaye Kasau, the father of Haymanot, addressed the delay in the campaign: “I thought that the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration were going to present the campaign to us last week, but that did not happen. We have been demanding a meaningful campaign for two years. We are in direct contact with the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and with the Jewish Agency, and we are asking them to apply the appropriate pressure in order to find my daughter.”
Danny Adeno Abebe, spokesperson for the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, said during the hearing: “We held several joint meetings with the Jewish Agency related to launching the campaign on the matter of Haymanot Kasau. We are aiming to create a campaign that will emphasize that Haymanot is a daughter to us all, including a proposal for a monetary reward for anyone who provides effective and useful information. At this stage, a company has already been selected to produce the advertising campaign. The campaign budget will be approximately 400,000 shekels.”
The campaign two years ago did not lead to a breakthrough
Two years ago, following significant public pressure, a targeted campaign was launched at railway stations featuring a photo of Haymanot, initiated by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and the Jewish Agency. The campaign included extensive publicity and the announcement of a monetary reward of 350,000 shekels for anyone who provided information leading to Haymanot’s location. However, the campaign did not lead to a breakthrough in the investigation into her disappearance.
Protests took place on 27 May in two locations across the country in response to the authorities’ handling of the investigation into the case. At 4:00 PM, a demonstration was held outside the offices of Lahav 433 in Lod, and at 6:00 PM a protest was held at Tzomet Tzabar in the Krayot area.
