diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 18e1f76dabe..2268ebedc7b 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ PHP                                                                        NEWS
   . Fixed bug GH-17442 (Engine UAF with reference assign and dtor). (nielsdos)
   . Improved error message of UnhandledMatchError for
     zend.exception_string_param_max_len=0. (timwolla)
+  . Fixed bug GH-17959 (Relax missing trait fatal error to error exception).
+    (ilutov)
 
 - Curl:
   . Added curl_multi_get_handles(). (timwolla)
diff --git a/Zend/tests/traits/bugs/missing-trait.phpt b/Zend/tests/traits/bugs/missing-trait.phpt
index 4bf054e8890..0b36c47e771 100644
--- a/Zend/tests/traits/bugs/missing-trait.phpt
+++ b/Zend/tests/traits/bugs/missing-trait.phpt
@@ -12,4 +12,7 @@ $test = new TraitsTest();
 
 ?>
 --EXPECTF--
-Fatal error: Trait "THello" not found in %s on line %d
+Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Trait "THello" not found in %s:%d
+Stack trace:
+#0 {main}
+  thrown in %s on line %d
diff --git a/Zend/tests/traits/error_002.phpt b/Zend/tests/traits/error_002.phpt
index 53ad403a433..fc9cfc5884c 100644
--- a/Zend/tests/traits/error_002.phpt
+++ b/Zend/tests/traits/error_002.phpt
@@ -9,4 +9,7 @@ class A {
 
 ?>
 --EXPECTF--
-Fatal error: Trait "abc" not found in %s on line %d
+Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Trait "abc" not found in %s:%d
+Stack trace:
+#0 {main}
+  thrown in %s on line %d
diff --git a/Zend/tests/traits/error_003.phpt b/Zend/tests/traits/error_003.phpt
index fdfa0ac1fe2..6a6d2d56d6c 100644
--- a/Zend/tests/traits/error_003.phpt
+++ b/Zend/tests/traits/error_003.phpt
@@ -12,4 +12,7 @@ class A {
 
 ?>
 --EXPECTF--
-Fatal error: A cannot use abc - it is not a trait in %s on line %d
+Fatal error: Uncaught Error: A cannot use abc - it is not a trait in %s:%d
+Stack trace:
+#0 {main}
+  thrown in %s on line %d
diff --git a/Zend/tests/traits/error_004.phpt b/Zend/tests/traits/error_004.phpt
index d7ff695e047..1e339f3d631 100644
--- a/Zend/tests/traits/error_004.phpt
+++ b/Zend/tests/traits/error_004.phpt
@@ -12,4 +12,7 @@ class A {
 
 ?>
 --EXPECTF--
-Fatal error: A cannot use abc - it is not a trait in %s on line %d
+Fatal error: Uncaught Error: A cannot use abc - it is not a trait in %s:%d
+Stack trace:
+#0 {main}
+  thrown in %s on line %d
diff --git a/Zend/tests/traits/error_005.phpt b/Zend/tests/traits/error_005.phpt
index 3b8cc32f975..dae8e1893a6 100644
--- a/Zend/tests/traits/error_005.phpt
+++ b/Zend/tests/traits/error_005.phpt
@@ -12,4 +12,7 @@ class A {
 
 ?>
 --EXPECTF--
-Fatal error: A cannot use abc - it is not a trait in %s on line %d
+Fatal error: Uncaught Error: A cannot use abc - it is not a trait in %s:%d
+Stack trace:
+#0 {main}
+  thrown in %s on line %d
diff --git a/Zend/tests/traits/error_006.phpt b/Zend/tests/traits/error_006.phpt
index f3ed87123cf..5d831a9da7f 100644
--- a/Zend/tests/traits/error_006.phpt
+++ b/Zend/tests/traits/error_006.phpt
@@ -12,4 +12,7 @@ class A {
 
 ?>
 --EXPECTF--
-Fatal error: A cannot use abc - it is not a trait in %s on line %d
+Fatal error: Uncaught Error: A cannot use abc - it is not a trait in %s:%d
+Stack trace:
+#0 {main}
+  thrown in %s on line %d
diff --git a/Zend/tests/traits/gh17959.phpt b/Zend/tests/traits/gh17959.phpt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..016dd7a4a4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Zend/tests/traits/gh17959.phpt
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+--TEST--
+GH-17959: Missing trait error is recoverable
+--FILE--
+<?php
+
+try {
+    class C {
+        use MissingTrait;
+    }
+} catch (Error $e) {
+    echo $e::class, ': ', $e->getMessage(), "\n";
+}
+
+?>
+===DONE===
+--EXPECT--
+Error: Trait "MissingTrait" not found
+===DONE===
diff --git a/Zend/zend_inheritance.c b/Zend/zend_inheritance.c
index 807c902276a..bcccf978e2a 100644
--- a/Zend/zend_inheritance.c
+++ b/Zend/zend_inheritance.c
@@ -3546,13 +3546,13 @@ ZEND_API zend_class_entry *zend_do_link_class(zend_class_entry *ce, zend_string
 
 		for (i = 0; i < ce->num_traits; i++) {
 			zend_class_entry *trait = zend_fetch_class_by_name(ce->trait_names[i].name,
-				ce->trait_names[i].lc_name, ZEND_FETCH_CLASS_TRAIT);
+				ce->trait_names[i].lc_name, ZEND_FETCH_CLASS_TRAIT | ZEND_FETCH_CLASS_EXCEPTION);
 			if (UNEXPECTED(trait == NULL)) {
 				free_alloca(traits_and_interfaces, use_heap);
 				return NULL;
 			}
 			if (UNEXPECTED(!(trait->ce_flags & ZEND_ACC_TRAIT))) {
-				zend_error_noreturn(E_ERROR, "%s cannot use %s - it is not a trait", ZSTR_VAL(ce->name), ZSTR_VAL(trait->name));
+				zend_throw_error(NULL, "%s cannot use %s - it is not a trait", ZSTR_VAL(ce->name), ZSTR_VAL(trait->name));
 				free_alloca(traits_and_interfaces, use_heap);
 				return NULL;
 			}