Israel Police search Jerusalem for mother suspected of abducting her two children

ByALON HACHMONJULY 27, 2026 19:21Israel Police asked the public to help locate a 20-year-old Jerusalem woman and her two young children, whom she is suspected of abducting and bringing to Israel from Canada, police said on Monday.Investigators at the Jerusalem District’s Lev Habira police station opened an investigation after receiving a complaint against the mother, identified as Aliya Joy Hirschberg.Hirschberg is suspected of abducting her two children, a three-year-old and a one-year-old.According to the investigation’s findings, the mother and children entered Israel in August 2025. Their whereabouts have been unknown since then.Police investigators believe Hirschberg and the children may be in the Jerusalem area. Police called on anyone with information about their whereabouts to contact the Israel Police emergency hotline at 100 or the investigating unit at 02-5391550.Photo of Aliya Joy Hirshberg shared by the Israel Police. (credit: ISRAEL POLICE)Police issue exit ban as search continuesThe couple had been living alternately in Canada and the United States, according to the report. Hirschberg holds Israeli citizenship, an Israeli passport, and an Israeli identity card, while her husband does not.Following an argument between the couple in Canada, Hirschberg allegedly took the children and traveled with them to Israel, where she disappeared with them.The husband subsequently hired a private investigator to trace his wife and children. When those efforts were unsuccessful, he contacted welfare authorities and local government officials, who then involved the police.Police are currently searching for Hirschberg. An order preventing her from leaving Israel has also been issued as the investigation continues.Follow us on Google