Israeli mother Mali Yahalomi and her daughter Liel, who had been missing for one week after disappearing in Vienna, were found alive in Argentina on Friday night, Israel Police confirmed. According to a report by the Argentine Jewish news agency AJN, the two were located on an intercity bus in Buenos Aires.
Israeli mother and daughter missing since Vienna found alive on Buenos Aires bus
Israeli mother Mali Yahalomi and her daughter Liel, who had been missing for one week after disappearing in Vienna, were found alive in Argentina on Friday night, Israel Police confirmed. According to a report by the Argentine Jewish news agency AJN, the two were located on an intercity bus in Buenos Aires.
A police source told Maariv that there had been no indication from the outset of criminal or terrorist activity, and that the women had been traveling voluntarily. They were reportedly surprised when the Police Intelligence Division located them.
Police briefly questioned the mother and daughter and determined they were not in danger and that no criminal incident had occurred. With no suspicion of wrongdoing and no grounds for arrest, they were subsequently released, according to Maariv.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the trip, including why the two women traveled from Europe to Argentina and did not make contact while police were trying to locate them.
Israel Police said in a statement that it was grateful for the cooperation of numerous security agencies and international bodies, including Lahav 433, the Police Intelligence Division, and Europol. The statement said that under the direction of Police Commissioner Dan Levy, police conducted extensive operations in Israel and abroad, operating around the clock and carrying out hundreds of investigative actions. 'This intelligence and operational activity demonstrates the ability of the Israeli Police to operate anywhere in the world,' the statement said.
Representatives of the family and Mali's brother told N12 News that they were very happy to learn the women had been found alive. They said questions remained but stressed their immediate relief was knowing the two were safe. The family also said funds raised through a crowdfunding campaign would be returned to donors.
- The source does not state when exactly on Friday night the women were located.
- The source does not state the nature of the questions that remain, according to the family.
- The source does not state why the two women traveled from Vienna to Argentina or why they did not make contact while police were searching for them.
- The source does not state the amount raised through the crowdfunding campaign.
- The source does not include any statement from Mali or Liel Yahalomi themselves.
- The dates in the source appear inconsistent: the article is dated August 14–15, 2026, but a photo caption states the women went missing on August 7, 2026, while the article body says they disappeared 'one week' before being found, which would place the disappearance around August 7–8, 2026; no authoritative date of disappearance is explicitly stated in the text.
Read the original at The Jerusalem Post