"I Realized They Deceived My Parents": Netanel Solved the Mystery of His Life

Netanel Khalif, a 25-year-old from Ma'alot who was adopted from Guatemala as a child, solved the mystery of his origins with the help of a private investigator. After years of uncertainty, and following his reserve duty on October 7, he located his biological family in the Petén region. He flew to Guatemala, met his parents and siblings, and came full circle. The story describes the emotional journey, the support of his adoptive parents, and the moving moment of the reunion.

Netanel Khalif, 25, from Ma'alot, always knew he was adopted, but only at age 15 did his adoptive mother tell him he was from Guatemala. At 18, on his birthday, he filed a request to open his adoption file and received the names of his biological parents, but a Facebook search yielded no results. Five years later, following his reserve duty on October 7, during which he was an ambulance driver at Ramat David Airbase, he decided to resume the search. He turned to private investigator Nati Lahav, who specialized in locating families for adoptees. Within a month, Lahav located his biological parents in the Petén region of Guatemala, and it turned out he had full siblings. Khalif flew to Guatemala, met his biological family, and came full circle. He speaks of the full support of his adoptive parents and the moving moment when his biological family learned he was alive, after being told he had died.