According to KAN, police no longer attribute any involvement in Kassau’s disappearance to the suspect, though the investigation into the Beersheba incident will remain under Lahav 433's authority.

Israel Police said on Sunday that a 63-year-old Beersheba resident suspected of sexually assaulting a minor is no longer considered a suspect in the disappearance of nine-year-old Haymanut Kasau from Safed, while requesting that his detention be extended by another three days, in connection with the Beersheba incident.

At a hearing at the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court in Rishon LeZion, Judge Menachem Mizrahi extended the suspect’s detention by three days at the request of police, citing evidence supporting the suspicion of an indecent act and assault against a 12-year-old girl in Beersheba, as well as concerns over potential obstruction of the investigation.

At the same time, the court accepted the position that the suspect should be cleared of suspicion in Kasau’s disappearance, nearly two years after she vanished, following a significant weakening of the evidentiary link between the two cases.

According to KAN, police no longer attribute any involvement in Kassau’s disappearance to the suspect, though the investigation into the Beersheba incident will remain under the authority of the Lahav 433 major crimes unit.

The suspect was arrested after a 12-year-old girl in Beersheba told investigators that a man arrived at her home under the pretense of visiting her father, a friend of his. According to her account, reported in detail by Haaretz, the man entered the apartment, asked for water and a towel, went to the bathroom, and, upon returning, allegedly hugged her and grabbed her arm as she tried to leave.

“I was really scared,” the girl told Haaretz. She said she managed to escape the apartment, screamed, and sought help from a neighbor, who contacted the police.

The suspect has denied the allegations, telling the court: “I only went to visit a friend, her father. I didn’t do anything.”

Mizrahi ruled that while the suspicion regarding Kasau’s disappearance had not been substantiated, the Beersheba case justifies continued detention. He also cited grounds of dangerousness and concerns that the suspect could interfere with the investigation.

Haymanut Kasau last seen in Safed

Haymanut Kasau, a nine-year-old girl from Safed, was last seen on February 25, 2024, near the absorption center where she lived with her family. Security camera footage shows her smiling and running back toward the building with election leaflets in her hands. She has not been seen since.

Search efforts were initially halted about three weeks after her disappearance and later resumed. Kasau’s family has long argued that all signs point to an abduction and has fought to have her classified as a kidnapping victim rather than a missing person - a distinction they say has significant implications for the scope and tools of the investigation.

According to Haaretz, police assessments in recent weeks indicated that no direct evidence was found tying the Beersheba suspect to Kasau’s disappearance, despite earlier judicial determinations that there was reasonable suspicion linking him to both cases.

The family has also sought to involve the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) in the investigation, but police acknowledged only recently - following criticism in the Knesset - that contrary to earlier statements by senior officers, the security agency had not been involved in the case, according to Channel 13.

About two weeks ago, Police Commissioner Daniel Levi ordered that the Kasau case be transferred to the Lahav 433 National Crime Unit, following reports by Channel 13 alleging investigative failures in the handling of the case.

The Rishon LeZion Magistrate’s Court subsequently imposed a broad gag order on details of the investigation, including the suspect’s identity and evidence collected, citing concerns over obstruction of justice. According to KAN, both police and the suspect’s defense attorneys supported extending the publication ban.

The investigation remains ongoing.