By Ynet

Copyright ynetnews

Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov landed in Israel on Wednesday after being held captive for two and a half years by the pro-Iranian Shiite militia Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq. She was taken to the hospital from Ben Gurion Airport for further medical checkups. Her release, announced Tuesday by U.S. President Donald Trump, follows months of intense diplomatic and intelligence efforts and is expected to draw widespread media attention, with her arrival likely to be broadcast live. Tsurkov, 38, was kidnapped in Baghdad on March 26, 2023, during a research trip for her Ph.D. studies at Princeton University. She had reportedly entered Iraq on her Russian passport and was believed to have been held by Kataib Hezbollah, though the militia initially denied involvement. Nearly a year into her captivity, a video surfaced showing Tsurkov pleading in Hebrew for her release, “confessing” under duress to working for Israel’s Mossad and the CIA, and urging Israel to stop its “heinous attacks.” On Tuesday evening, Trump announced her release on his Truth Social platform, saying: “I am pleased to report that Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton student whose sister is an American citizen, was just released by Kataib 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!” Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani also confirmed the release, crediting Iraq’s security services for months of work to secure Tsurkov’s freedom. “We will not allow anyone to harm the reputation of Iraq and the Iraqis,” he posted on X. Tsurkov, an Israeli citizen with Russian citizenship, was born in St. Petersburg to Jewish dissidents imprisoned in Siberia before the family made aliyah to Israel when she was four. She grew up in Kfar Eldad in the West Bank, where her mother still lives. Her sister resides in the U.S., her younger siblings in Israel, and her father in Brazil. An accomplished academic, Tsurkov earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations and communications at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a master’s degree in Middle Eastern studies at Tel Aviv University and political science at the University of Chicago. She later began her Ph.D. at Princeton, focusing on Middle Eastern affairs, ISIS and the Syrian civil war, conducting extensive fieldwork in Syria, Jordan, Turkey and across the region. Her family expressed overwhelming relief. “The entire family is overjoyed. We can’t wait to meet Elizabeth and shower her with all the love we’ve been waiting to share for 903 days,” said her sister Emma in a statement. “We are grateful to President Trump and his special envoy, Adam Boehler. If Adam hadn’t made my sister’s return a personal mission, I don’t know where we would be today.” Emma also thanked Josh Harris and his team at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, as well as the Global Reach organization, which played a central role in securing her release. In May, Tsurkov’s mother met with Boehler, Trump’s special envoy for hostage affairs who previously helped secure the release of American hostage Edan Alexander from Hamas captivity, in an effort to accelerate negotiations. Tsurkov’s return to Israel marks the end of a prolonged ordeal that spanned more than a year and involved complex coordination between U.S., Israeli and Iraqi officials. She is expected to undergo medical evaluations before reuniting with her family later today.