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Missing Persons Family Members Assistance Law, 5786-2026

חוק סיוע לבני משפחה של נעדרים, תשפ"ו-2026

Published: 2026-05-24Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2026-07-24 · Last amended 2026-05-24✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-28
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More

This English text was translated from the official Hebrew using a range of translation tools, and it undergoes ongoing checks and updates. It is not a certified translation.

Despite these checks, it may contain errors, omissions, or imprecise renderings of legal terminology and cross-references, and it may not yet reflect the latest amendments. It cannot be relied upon as a legal text.

The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.

This translation is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For use in legal proceedings, request a certified Expert Legal Opinion.

Purpose§

1.

The purpose of this Law is to promote the provision of assistance to family members of missing persons and to chart the cooperation between the relevant State authorities with regard to the treatment of family members and their rights.

Definitions§

2.

In this Law –

"family member" – a spouse, a parent, a spouse of a parent, a brother, a sister, a son or a daughter;

"the Committee" – the Committee for the Assistance of Family Members of a Missing Person established under Section 3;

"soldier" and "army orders" – as defined in the Military Justice Law, 5715-1955;

"missing person" – one of the following:

(1)an Israeli citizen or resident of Israel in whom all of the following conditions are met:
(a)he or she was expected to return home or to any other framework in which he or she resides and has not returned to that place for at least sixty days from the date on which notice thereof was given to the Israel Police;
(b)his or her whereabouts are unknown, contact with him or her cannot be made, and all efforts to trace him or her have been unsuccessful;
(c)there is no evidence that he or she is not alive;
(d)there is a valid declaration regarding him or her as a missing person in accordance with Israel Police orders as defined in the Police Ordinance [New Version], 5731-1971;
(2)a soldier whom the Israel Defence Forces have determined to have disappeared from military service, excluding a soldier who is suspected of having disappeared in circumstances constituting an offence under sections 92 or 94 of the Military Justice Law, 5715-1955;

"the Minister" – the Minister of Labour.

Establishment of the Committee for the Assistance of Family Members of a Missing Person§

3.
(a)The Minister shall appoint a committee whose function is to coordinate the responses provided by State authorities in the treatment of family members of missing persons and in the removal of barriers to such treatment.
(b)The following are the members of the Committee:
(1)an employee of the Ministry of Labour appointed by the Minister, who shall serve as chairperson;
(2)an employee of the Ministry of Welfare and Social Security appointed by the Minister of Welfare and Social Security;
(3)an employee of the Ministry of National Security appointed by the Minister of National Security;
(4)an employee of the Ministry of Defence or a representative of the Israel Defence Forces appointed by the Minister of Defence;
(5)an employee of the Ministry of Health appointed by the Minister of Health;
(6)an employee of the Ministry of the Interior appointed by the Minister of the Interior;
(7)an employee of the Ministry of Finance appointed by the Minister of Finance;
(8)an employee of the Ministry of Justice appointed by the Minister of Justice;
(9)an employee of the National Insurance Institute appointed by the Director General of the National Insurance Institute;
(10)an employee of the Office of the Administrator General appointed by the Administrator General.

Functions of the Committee and its Working Procedures§

4.
(a)The following are the functions of the Committee:
(1)to formulate procedures for permanent working arrangements between Government ministries and public authorities with regard to family members of missing persons (in this Law – the procedures); the procedures require the approval of the Minister, after consultation with the relevant Minister;
(2)to examine individual cases for the purpose of drawing lessons, correcting deficiencies in the treatment of family members and improving the responses provided to them.
(b)The Committee shall determine its own working procedures.

Notice of a Missing Person§

5.

The Israel Police or the Israel Defence Forces, as the case may be, shall notify the Committee of a person in respect of whom there are grounds to presume, in accordance with information in their possession, that he or she is a missing person under this Law, in a manner that does not prejudice investigation needs, State security or the foreign relations thereof.

Disclosure of Information§

6.
(a)A public body may disclose to the Committee, at its request, information in its possession relating to the missing person or to his or her family members, for the purpose of performing its functions as set out in Section 4, having regard to the protection of the privacy of the missing person, and provided that all of the following conditions are met and that such disclosure does not prejudice the proper conduct of an investigation:
(1)if the information relates to the missing person – the family members thereof have given their consent to the disclosure of the information, and the provisions of section 2a(a)(3) of the Privacy Protection Law shall apply to this matter, with the necessary modifications, and if the information relates to a family member of the missing person – its disclosure shall be subject to the consent of that family member;
(2)it is directly necessary for the purpose of formulating the procedures or examining the matter of the missing person;
(3)disclosure of the information is not prohibited by law.
(b)The Committee shall specify in its request the manner and time for the disclosure of the information.
(c)The information shall be disclosed in a manner that does not identify a particular person, and insofar as possible to the extent required for the purpose of the information request.
(d)In this Section –

"public body" – as defined in paragraph (1) of the definition of "public body" in section 23 of the Privacy Protection Law;

"Privacy Protection Law" – Privacy Protection Law, 5741-1981.

Duty of Notification§

7.
(a)The Israel Police shall notify a family member of a missing person as referred to in paragraph (1) of the definition of "missing person" of the possibility of applying to the following bodies for the purpose of examining the rights to which he or she is entitled under any law:
(1)the department for social services at the relevant local authority;
(2)the Legal Aid Bureau at the Ministry of Justice.
(b)The Minister of National Security shall prescribe provisions with regard to the implementation of subsection (a).
(c)Army orders shall prescribe provisions as referred to in subsection (a) with regard to the notification of a family member of a missing person as referred to in paragraph (2) of the definition of "missing person".

Duty of Confidentiality§

8.

A person who has received information under this Law in the course of performing his or her function shall keep it confidential, shall not disclose it to another person and shall not make any use thereof except for the purpose for which it was disclosed for the implementation of this Law or pursuant to a court Order.

Savings Provisions§

9.

Nothing in the provisions of this Law shall derogate from the provisions of any law.

Implementation and Regulations§

10.

The Minister is responsible for the implementation of this Law, and may make Regulations on any matter relating to its implementation.

Amendment of the Legal Aid Law – No. 31§

11.

In the Legal Aid Law, 5732-1972, in the Schedule, the following shall be added at the end thereof:

"(17) to a family member of a missing person as defined in the Missing Persons Family Members Assistance Law, 5786-2026, in civil proceedings in Israel, in matters connected to the affairs of the missing person, and the provisions of section 3 shall not apply.".

Amendment of the National Health Insurance Law – No. 76§

12.

In the National Health Insurance Law, 5754-1994, in section 14(g), instead of "351(k)(2c)" there shall come "351(g1) or (k)(2c)".

Amendment of the National Insurance Law – No. 266§

13.

In the National Insurance Law [Consolidated Version], 5755-1995 –

(1)after section 324a the following shall come:

"Missing Person

324a1.§

A benefit shall not be paid to a missing person or on his or her behalf, in respect of the period after six months from the date on which it was determined that he or she is a missing person, and for as long as he or she has not been located; in this Section, "missing person" – as defined in the Missing Persons Family Members Assistance Law, 5786-2026.";

(2)in section 351, after subsection (g) the following shall come:

"(g1) Insurance contributions shall not be paid in respect of the period during which a person is determined to be a missing person as defined in the Missing Persons Family Members Assistance Law, 5786-2026, if the missing person has no other income during that period, and for as long as he or she has not been located.".

14. (a) This Law shall come into force two months from the date of its publication; notwithstanding the foregoing –

(1)the commencement of sections 12 and 13 – on the date of publication of this Law;
(2)the commencement of section 11 – one year from the date of publication of this Law.
(b)The Committee shall be established within one month from the date of publication of this Law.

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