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President Trump and the Iraqi government on Tuesday announced that Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian citizen, U.S. permanent resident and Princeton graduate student, was released after being held captive for over 900 days by the terrorist group Khataib Hezbollah in Iraq.
Trump said in a Truth Social post that Tsurkov is in the American Embassy in Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani said her release was the result of “efforts exerted by our security agencies over many months.”
Tsurkov was kidnapped in Baghdad in March 2023 by the Iran-backed militia group when she was in the country for academic research.
Emma Tsurkov, Elizabeth’s sister and an American citizen, said the entire family is incredibly happy. She served as a high-profile advocate for her sister’s release, confronting the Iraqi prime minister during an event at the Atlantic Council in April 2024 and issuing a personal appeal to Trump’s special envoy for peace missions, Steve Witkoff, during an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee in February.
Emma Tsurkov credited Adam Boehler, Trump’s special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, as critical to securing Elizabeth Tsurkov’s release.
“We cannot wait to see Elizabeth and give her all the love we have been waiting to share for 903 days,” she said in a statement.
“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 U.S. 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.”
Global Reach is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing home Americans who are wrongly held abroad.
Its CEO Mickey Bergman said it is a day “we have all been waiting for” and credited U.S. involvement.
“Elizabeth is a Princeton graduate student – an innocent researcher who was doing doctoral field work when she was kidnapped by Khataib Hezbollah. When others were unwilling to help her, the US government stepped up, in particular Special Envoy Adam Boehler and the team at the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. The Trump Administration deserves credit for taking action and bringing this young woman home to her family.”
The Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately return a request for comment.
