An Israeli judge approved a request by YALK, a unit within the Lahav 433 crime-fighting division, to ban publication of details from the investigation into the disappearance of Mali and Liel Yahalomi, Israel Police announced on Thursday. The mother and daughter, aged 50 and 23, have been missing in Vienna since Friday, August 7, 2026, and failed to board a scheduled return flight from Prague on Tuesday night.
Israeli judge imposes gag order on investigation into disappearance of two women in Austria
An Israeli judge approved a request by YALK, a unit within the Lahav 433 crime-fighting division, to ban publication of details from the investigation into the disappearance of Mali and Liel Yahalomi, Israel Police announced on Thursday. The mother and daughter, aged 50 and 23, have been missing in Vienna since Friday, August 7, 2026, and failed to board a scheduled return flight from Prague on Tuesday night.
According to information available to the family, the vacation apartment where the two had been staying in Vienna was found empty of their belongings. Their phones were subsequently located near a Vienna train station, but their trail has since gone cold, according to the report.
Austrian police reviewed videos and other footage showing the two leaving their hotel room on their own. Austrian police, the Israeli Embassy in Vienna, and the city's Chabad community have all stated there are no leads in the case.
Israeli police on Wednesday examined claims that Mali Yahalomi, described as a senior employee at a bank, was allegedly behind an embezzlement scheme. That suspicion was ruled out in the initial investigation, according to the report.
Since no bloodstains or bodies have been found, suspicion has grown, according to the report, that the two may have deliberately fled and are in hiding for reasons that remain unclear, though abduction is also considered a possibility.
Modi'in police questioned other family members — including the missing woman's son and daughter, her brother, and others — who said they last spoke with their mother and sister on Friday. The Israeli Embassy in Vienna published an appeal on social media on Wednesday, including photographs of the two women and asking the public to help locate them.
- The source does not state when exactly the gag order takes effect or its duration.
- The source does not state what specific investigative details the gag order prohibits beyond 'any details from the investigation.'
- The source does not state whether Austrian authorities have formally opened a criminal investigation or are treating the case as a missing persons matter.
- The source does not state what footage or video was reviewed by police beyond a general reference to hotel room footage.
- The source does not include any response or statement from Austrian police about the status or direction of their investigation.
- The source does not state Mali Yahalomi's full job title or the name of the bank where she is employed.
Read the original at The Jerusalem Post