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Israeli held hostage by Iraqi terror militia is freed after two years in captivity
Elizabeth Tsurkov was kidnapped by the Kata'ib Hezbollah militia in Iraq in March 2023
An Israeli citizen held hostage for more than two years in Iraq has been released by the terrorist militia that took her captive, with her sister praising both Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu for their efforts to bring her home.
Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli citizen, was taken prisoner in Baghdad in March 2023 while doing doctoral research for her dissertation at Princeton University. She had contacted a Shiite cleric, with the hope of arranging a meeting with his brother, a senior leader in Kata’ib Hezbollah, a terrorist group which is one of the most powerful militias in Iraq and has been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers. When her Israeli citizenship was discovered, the group decided to take her captive, initially denying that they had done so.
On Tuesday afternoon, Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social media platform that “I am pleased to report that Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton Student, whose sister is an American Citizen, was just released by Kata’ib Hezbollah (MILITANT Hezbollah), and is now safely in the American Embassy in Iraq after being tortured for many months. I will always fight for JUSTICE, and never give up. HAMAS, RELEASE THE HOSTAGES, NOW!”
Despite the similarity in name, Kata’ib Hezbollah in Iraq is a different organisation to Hezbollah in Lebanon, although both are aligned with the Iranian regime.
In a statement in Hebrew, Emma Tsurkov, Elizabeth’s sister, said: “I am filled with gratitude and joy to announce that my sister Elizabeth has been released from captivity in Iraq. I am deeply thankful to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Coordinator for Captives and Missing Persons, Gal Hirsch, for their dedication and resolute leadership that brought Elizabeth home. Huge thanks also to United States President Donald Trump and his envoy Adam Boehler. We kindly request privacy during this sensitive time.”
In a subsequent English statement, she said: “We cannot wait to see Elizabeth and give her all the love we have been waiting to share for 903 days. We are so thankful to President Trump and his Special Envoy, Adam Boehler. If Adam had not made my sister’s return his personal mission, I do not know where we would be. We also want to thank Josh Harris and his team at the US Embassy in Baghdad for the support they provided to our sister and the team at the nonprofit Global Reach who advocated relentlessly for my sister’s safe return.”
Kata’ib Hezbollah has since claimed that Tsurkov’s release was predicated on the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. Within the last few days, US soldiers at the Ain-al-Asad base in the country’s Anbar province, as well as the Victoria base in Baghdad, have begin to leave the country.
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