The National Security Committee held a meeting this morning regarding the investigation into the disappearance of the 9-year-old girl Hymanut Kassou in Tzfat. It has been one year since she disappeared near an immigration absorption center. Walla reports that the meeting included MKs, the family, and the Israel Police. Nonprofits specializing in child welfare, emergency response, the Tzfat municipality, and the Jewish Agency were also represented. During the meeting, MKs reproached the police for not treating the case as a kidnapping instead of a missing person case. Such a decision has legal and operational ramifications, especially regarding international cooperation. MK Meirav Ben-Ari (Yesh Atid) reprimanded the police representatives: "You need to change your approach and treat this as an abduction." MK Pnina Tamano-Shata (National Unity) said: "The police did not do all that they should have done to find her from the very beginning of the search." The Israel Dog Unit, a nonprofit specializing in working dogs, has been among the organizations searching for Hymanut since her disappearance. Its director, Yekutiel Ben-Yaakov, commented that the police have employed significantly more resources than are directed to most missing person cases. Nevertheless, he called for the reclassification of the case as an abduction and the inclusion of the ISA in the investigation, saying that they could help solve the disappearance. Her parents displayed a photo of their daughter throughout the meeting and shared the feelings of the rest of their family. "Since she disappeared, we live in anxiety. Her little sisters are afraid to go to the toilet. It has disrupted our entire lives and we cannot go on without her. We believe that the police cannot properly handle this case. It is inconceivable that the state cannot find the girl."
