Mossad, Israeli police join probe into disappearance of two Israeli women in Vienna

Mossad joins search for Israeli mother and daughter missing in Vienna as police probe whether they vanished voluntarily.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency has joined efforts to locate an Israeli mother and daughter who vanished during a trip to Austria last week, as investigators examine indications that the two may have left their Vienna accommodation voluntarily rather than been abducted.

Mali Yahalomi, 50, and her daughter Liel, 23, have been out of contact with their family since Friday, August 7. The two subsequently failed to board their planned flight back to Israel from Prague on Tuesday, prompting an increasingly extensive search involving Austrian authorities, Israel Police, the Foreign Ministry and other Israeli agencies.

The investigation took a new turn Wednesday as Israeli officials said intelligence checks had so far produced no evidence that the disappearance was connected to terrorism or other hostile activity.

Three Israeli officials familiar with the investigation said checks had found no indication of involvement by an Iranian or Hamas-linked cell.

The Mossad is nevertheless assisting with efforts to find the women, while the Foreign Ministry remains the primary Israeli agency coordinating the case.

Vienna police have reached a similar preliminary assessment regarding criminal activity.

Police spokesman Markus Dittrich said there was “currently no indication of foul play,” adding that authorities had initiated the normal steps used in missing-person cases, including hospital checks, in cooperation with Israel’s diplomatic mission in Austria.

But what happened after the women left their accommodation remains unexplained.

According to information now being examined by Israel Police, Mali and Liel remained at their Vienna lodging through Friday and were in contact with relatives that day.

The room was booked until Saturday, and investigators believe the women packed their belongings, checked out and left Saturday morning. Their phones were subsequently located in the vicinity of a Vienna train station before they could no longer be traced.

Investigators are also examining information suggesting location data had been deleted from their phones in the days before their disappearance and whether the women had obtained or were carrying a significant amount of cash, Ynet reported.

Those details have contributed to the theory that they may have left voluntarily, although police have not announced a conclusion about what occurred.

Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levy has transferred the Israeli investigation to the Lahav 433 national investigative unit and ordered authorities to deploy resources both inside Israel and overseas.

At a special situation assessment Wednesday, Levy was briefed on intelligence and investigative measures being taken abroad and instructed police to use “all necessary resources and means” to locate the women.

The Yahalomi family, however, sharply disputed suggestions that the evidence already points toward a voluntary disappearance and accused police sources of creating a misleading impression that major possibilities had been ruled out.

“The Yahalomi family views with great seriousness the briefings and reports circulated in recent hours,” the family said, arguing that they created the impression that a conclusion had already been reached about the disappearance.

The family also challenged reports concerning the women’s finances, saying information it received from Israel Police showed “no unusual use” of Mali or Liel’s bank accounts and that the last account activity occurred on August 3.

It said some of the information appearing in media reports had never been presented to relatives and that other information in the family’s possession “materially contradicts” some of the claims that have been published. Family members gave testimony to Lahav 433 investigators overnight as the Israeli probe intensified.

The family also rejected the suggestion that terrorism could already be discounted, saying there was currently “no basis” for definitively ruling out a nationalist-motivated attack.

“The family is not seeking to determine through the media what happened to Mali and Liel,” the statement said.

It added that relatives were equally unwilling to see voluntary disappearance treated as an established explanation before the investigation is completed.

The disappearance is particularly alarming to relatives because the women had remained in frequent contact during their trip.

Mali and Liel began their European vacation in Prague on August 4 before traveling by train to Vienna. The trip was a birthday gift from Liel to her mother, who turned 50 last week.

Mali works as a manager at Bank of Jerusalem, while Liel works for the Etz Male furniture company, according to Mali’s brother, Moshe Yahalomi.

Shortly before Shabbat on Friday, the women sent their family photographs and messages from Vienna. A relative recalled that they wrote that they had reached their apartment and wished everyone “Shabbat shalom.” They had also arranged to obtain food for a Shabbat meal through Vienna’s Chabad community but never collected it.

Because the family is Shabbat-observant, relatives did not initially regard the lack of communication Friday night and Saturday as unusual. Concern mounted Sunday when messages went unanswered, and relatives filed a missing-person report with police in Modi’in. Their planned return flight on Tuesday then departed without them.

The Israeli Embassy in Vienna has appealed publicly for information, while Austrian police, Israeli representatives, members of the local Jewish community and relatives who traveled to Austria have participated in the search.

The embassy cautioned Wednesday against speculation, saying its immediate priority was to locate Mali and Liel and ensure their safety.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also spoke with the family and pledged to continue following the case.

“We are with you, concerned for you and embracing you,” Ben-Gvir told relatives. “I will do everything in my power to help.”

Austriamissing personsMossadVienna