‘Ground swallowed them up’: Search ongoing in Vienna for two missing Israelis

Authorities were still searching for an Israeli woman and her daughter who have been missing in Vienna since Friday, according to Hebrew media reports on Wednesday, and are reportedly no closer to finding the pair.

Israel’s embassy in Austria said Tuesday that Mali Yahalomi and her adult daughter Liel were last seen Friday in the Austrian capital, and asked for urgent help locating the two.

Authorities are probing the possibility that the two withdrew a significant amount of cash, and that local data was erased from their phone days before their disappearance, according to the Ynet news site on Wednesday

Ynet reported that there are indications that Mali, 50, and Liel, 23, left their apartment willingly and were not taken from there.

After an assessment by the Israel Police, it was decided that the Lahav 433 major crimes unit would handle the Israeli investigation in coordination with Austrian authorities.

Hundreds of people are aiding the search, Channel 12 reported.

⚠️ Missing Persons Alert ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/rUodz8zCJc

— Israel in Österreich???????????????? (@IsraelinAustria) August 11, 2026

A relative told the network: “The ground has swallowed them up. Everyone is out searching for them, and there’s simply nothing. There are no leads whatsoever. We’re at a loss.”

An unnamed Israeli official told the Ynet news outlet: “Everyone is out searching for them in an effort to locate them. Various parties are involved. They can’t be found anywhere. It doesn’t look good, but we hope they will be found safe and sound.”

Markus Dittrich, a spokesman for the Vienna police, told Austrian news outlets that there was “currently no indication of foul play.”

“The standard procedures for missing persons reports, such as an internal search, hospital inquiries, and the like, have been initiated in cooperation with the Israeli diplomatic mission in Austria,” Dittrich added.

According to Channel 12, police searched the pair’s hotel rooms, which were found empty, without any personal belongings.

The pair had arrived in Vienna from Prague by train last week, their family told the outlet. Since the family observes Shabbat and therefore does not use electronic devices on Friday nights and Saturdays, their relatives did not suspect anything out of the ordinary until Sunday morning, when their text messages to the mother and daughter did not go through.

But according to reports, the two went missing as of Friday night, as they did not keep their Shabbat dinner plans or pick up the food they had ordered from a kosher restaurant.

Several family members have since flown to Vienna to aid in the search, telling Channel 12: “This is our last resort.”

“We are prepared for any news,” a relative said.

Israel Police chief Daniel Levy on Wednesday held a special situation assessment amid efforts to locate the two.

A statement from the Israel Police said that Levy “received a comprehensive overview of all investigative activities and intelligence efforts being carried out in Israel and abroad” to locate the two.

Levy “directed that all necessary resources and means be allocated, in Israel and abroad, for the benefit of the investigation and location” of the missing women.

Israel’s embassy in Austria has requested that anyone with information on their whereabouts call +43 6763672304 or contact the local police.

It also asked the public to share the request on social media.

The embassy does not believe that their disappearance is related to anti-Israel nationalist ideology, Channel 12 reported Tuesday.

Austria has been among the European countries friendliest to Israel in recent years, as much of the continent has soured toward Israel over the war against Hamas in Gaza.