On Sunday, Israel announced that the body of a rabbi, who went missing in the United Arab Emirates, had been found and that he had been killed. Authorities labeled the incident a “monstrous anti-Semitic terrorist act.”
In a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, it was declared that Israel “will use all means necessary to achieve justice against the criminals responsible for his death.” The UAE has not yet commented.
28-year-old Tzvi Kogan, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi with citizenship in Israel and Moldova, went missing on Thursday. He operated a kosher food store in futuristic Dubai. Israelis have increasingly been visiting for trade and tourism since the two countries established diplomatic relations as part of the Abraham Accords in 2020.
The agreement lasted over a year amid a sharp rise in regional tensions triggered by a terrorist attack by the radical group Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Following this, Israel's retaliatory actions in Gaza and Lebanon after months of shelling from the Shiite group Hezbollah sparked outrage among Emiratis, Arab citizens, and other residents of the UAE.
Observers believe that Tehran is behind the kidnapping and murder of Kogan.
Senior Emirati diplomat Anwar Gargash wrote on the social platform X on Sunday that “the UAE will remain a home of security, an oasis of stability, a society of tolerance and coexistence, and a beacon of development, pride, and progress.”
Netanyahu expressed on Sunday during a cabinet meeting that he is “deeply shocked” by Kogan's disappearance and death. Both he and Israeli President Isaac Herzog extended their gratitude to the Emirati authorities for their "swift actions." The Prime Minister also emphasized that he greatly values the UAE's cooperation in the investigation and that the ties between the two countries will continue to strengthen.