Israeli-Moldovan former soldier and rabbi found dead in UAE

Israel said on Sunday: An Israeli-Moldovan rabbi and former soldier who disappeared United Arab Emirates He was killed in an act of what he called “anti-Semitic terrorism.”

“Intelligence and security officials in the United Arab Emirates have found the body of Tzvi Kogan, who has been missing since Thursday, November 21,” said a joint statement by the prime minister’s office and the ministry of foreign affairs. The statement was included.

“The killing of Tzvi Kogan as a sacred memory is a disgusting act of antisemitic terrorism,” it said, adding that Israel “will do everything in its power to ensure that justice is served and those responsible for his death are held accountable.” “

Kogan was an ambassador ultra-Orthodox Chabad Hasidic movement in UAE. According to Israeli press Ynet, previously served as a soldier in the Israeli army Givati ​​BrigadeIts members have been carrying out deadly military operations in the Gaza Strip since October 7 last year.

He was also the Rabbi’s assistant. Levi DuchmanThe UAE’s chief rabbi controversially normalized relations with Israel in late 2020.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday that Israel was investigating Kogan’s disappearance in the UAE as a “terrorist incident.”

It issued a warning to Israelis to avoid non-essential travel to the UAE and advised citizens already in the Gulf country to take extra precautions.

On Saturday, an Emirati official said the foreign ministry was in contact with Kogan’s family and the Moldovan embassy in Abu Dhabi.

The official added that Emirati authorities have launched an investigation and are searching for the missing man.

UAE established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020Along with other countries such as Bahrain and Morocco under the US-brokered Abraham Accords. This move sparked great reaction and anger from Palestinians, who saw normalization as a betrayal of their cause.

Diplomatic ties between Israel and Arab countries remain a sensitive issue, especially as Israel maintains an indiscriminate military campaign in the region. More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip for over a year.