Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli citizen and Princeton University doctoral student, was released on Tuesday after being held in captivity in Iraq for more than two years.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the news on Truth Social, writing: “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!”
Tsurkov entered Iraq in January 2023, claiming she was conducting field research for her doctoral thesis. She reportedly established contact with Shiite cleric Ahmed Alwani, who helped arrange a potential interview with his cousin, Muhammad Alwani, a senior figure in Kata’ib Hezbollah, one of the most powerful groups within Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).
However, on March 21, 2023, Tsurkov was abducted in front of a café in Baghdad after the cousins allegedly discovered she was an Israeli national. In November of that year, she appeared in a video released by her captors in which she claimed she was working for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. In the footage, she said her mission was to build ties with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and to inflame sectarian divisions within Iraq’s Shia community.
The authenticity of her statements in the video remains in question, as observers widely believe they were made under duress.
It remains unclear under what conditions Tsurkov was released. While neither Washington nor Baghdad has confirmed whether a deal was struck, her release coincided with the first phase of the U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq. Over the weekend, American forces handed over key bases, including Ain al-Assad in Anbar Province and the Victory Base Complex near Baghdad International Airport, raising speculation that her freedom may have been linked to the drawdown.
The U.S. is expected to complete its full withdrawal from Iraq by September 2026, when the remaining forces stationed in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region are due to depart.