Missing Israelis Found in Argentina: Police Reveal Details

Tali Bankin, head of Interpol operations for the Israeli Police, disclosed new details Sunday on Radio Kol Barama about the international effort to locate Mali and Liel Yehalomi, whose disappearance sparked widespread concern in Israel.

"This was a global operation," Bankin said. "Initially, our working assumption was that we were dealing with an abduction. But as the investigation progressed, we came to understand that this was a planned event—a case of voluntary disappearance."

Asked about the gag order imposed on media coverage during the search, Bankin explained that investigators were withholding sensitive information. "Once we were confident this was a voluntary disappearance, we tried to calm the situation and prevent the wave of misinformation from affecting the atmosphere in Israel," she said.

Bankin then described how the two women were tracked to Argentina. Surprisingly, she revealed that authorities had indications of their whereabouts days before the public announcement. "We received intelligence several days earlier that the two were in South America," she said.

A Europol representative traveled to the region and coordinated the investigation with Israeli police representatives in Europe. "Once they crossed into South America, we shifted most of our resources there and began closing in. That's when we had our breakthrough and found them," Bankin recounted.

She emphasized that investigators' primary concern was their wellbeing and autonomy. "We were very worried about them and wanted to confirm that they had traveled to South America of their own free will, that this journey wasn't forced upon them. They told us they had wanted to disappear. I cannot reveal the motive because it's private, and that's precisely why we released them to go on their way. Our contact with them ended there."

Bankin also noted that "the State of Israel spent a considerable amount of money on the search."