Body of Moldovan-Israeli rabbi missing in UAE has been found

Israel announced on Sunday that the body of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who had gone missing in the United Arab Emirates has been found. Rabbi Zvi Kogan was killed in what Israel has described as a “heinous antisemitic terror incident”.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated that Israel “will act with all means to seek justice with the criminals responsible for his death.” Israeli authorities did not provide details on how they determined the killing of Zvi Kogan was a terror attack.

Kogan, 28, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi who disappeared on Thursday, operated a kosher grocery store in Dubai, a city that has become a hub for Israeli commerce and tourism following the 2020 Abraham Accords.

The agreement has persisted amid rising regional tensions following Hamas' 7 October, 2023 attack on Israel. Israel’s subsequent military actions in Gaza and Lebanon have fuelled anger among Emiratis and other residents of the UAE.

The Emirati government did not respond to requests for comment. However, senior Emirati diplomat Anwar Gargash wrote on the social platform X in Arabic that “the UAE will remain a home of safety, an oasis of stability, a society of tolerance and coexistence and a beacon of development, pride and advancement.”

Early Sunday, the UAE’s state-run WAM news agency acknowledged Kogan’s disappearance but did not mention his Israeli citizenship, referring to him as Moldovan. The Emirati Interior Ministry described him as “missing and out of contact”.

“Specialised authorities immediately began search and investigation operations upon receiving the report,” the Interior Ministry said.

Later, Netanyahu expressed being “deeply shocked” by Kogan's death during a Cabinet meeting. He thanked the UAE for its cooperation in the investigation and emphasised that ties between the two countries would continue to strengthen.

Israel's ceremonial president, Isaac Herzog, condemned the killing, thanking Emirati authorities for "their swift action" and expressing confidence they “will work tirelessly to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

Following Kogan's death, Israel reiterated its warning against nonessential travel to the UAE, citing concerns about potential threats to Israelis and Jews in the region.

Kogan was an emissary of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, a prominent ultra-Orthodox Jewish group based in Brooklyn, New York. He was last seen in Dubai.

The Rimon Market, which Kogan managed on Dubai's Al Wasl Road, was closed on Sunday. The store had faced online protests from Palestinian supporters, and mezuzahs on its doors appeared to have been removed when an Associated Press journalist visited.

Local Jewish officials in the UAE declined to comment.