From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
New lead reported in case of missing girl Haymanut Kasau as police major crimes unit takes over investigation
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The Israel Police announce that the case of missing Ethiopian-Israeli girl Haymanut Kasau is being transferred to the Lahav 433 major crimes unit, almost two years after her disappearance.
At the same time, Channel 12 reports that there has been a “dramatic update” in the case, which has stumped police after Kasau, then nine years old and living in Safed, seemingly disappeared without a trace in February 2024.
According to the report, police have found a new lead in the case after an apparent attempted kidnapping of a young girl in Beersheba yesterday, which was caught on a security camera outside the apartment of a neighbor. The footage was obtained by Channel 12.
The girl is reportedly a friend of Kasau’s, and her family moved from Safed to Beersheba earlier this year.
In the footage, a man — whose face is blurred — can be seen approaching the apartment and knocking on the door, which is opened. The man says a few words, but they are not picked up clearly enough by the security camera to decipher, and he appears to reach into the apartment.
The footage freezes momentarily and when it resumes, a screaming figure can be seen fleeing out of the apartment and down the hallway as the man chases after her.
Kasau’s relatives tell Channel 12 that the man seen in the video is from Safed and that he knows their family.
The Israel Police says, however, that its decision to hand the case over to Lahav 433 is not related to any developments on the ground, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
The Times of Israel Community.