Iraq must return Israeli hostage Elizabeth Tzurkov or else, US hostage envoy warns

"If Elizabeth Tsurkov does not come home NOW, then the Iraqi Prime Minister is either incapable and should be fired or, worse, complicit," Boehler said.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF FEBRUARY 5, 2025 18:32

Elizabeth Tsurkov was kidnapped in Iraq earlier this year by Iranian-backed terrorist group Kataib Hezbollah. (photo credit: Elizabeth Tsurkov, THAIER AL-SUDANI/REUTERS)

"Elizabeth Tsurkov is a Princeton student held hostage in Iraq! The Iraqi Prime Minister consistently made false promises to the prior administration about releasing her. BUT NOW DONALD TRUMP IS ON TO YOU!" United States Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler said on X on Wednesday.

Elizabeth Tsurkov is a Princeton student held hostage in Iraq! The @IraqiPMO consistently made false promises to the prior administration about releasing her. BUT NOW @realDonaldTrump IS ON TO YOU! If @elizrael does not come home NOW than @IraqiPMO is either incapable and… https://t.co/09FmgWt2sW

— Adam Boehler (@aboehler) February 5, 2025

"If Elizabeth Tsurkov does not come home NOW, then the Iraqi Prime Minister is either incapable and should be fired or, worse, complicit. Bring Elizabeth home now!" his post concluded. 

Iraqi militias have expressed their backing for a potential hostage exchange deal involving Israel and Hezbollah, according to a Friday report by Amwaj Media.

Sources linked to Iraqi Shiite militias told Amwaj that discussions were emerging around a deal to swap Israeli-Russian citizen Elizabeth Tsurkov for Hezbollah fighters detained by the IDF.

A member of Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah attends the funeral of a commander who was killed in a strike in the Syrian capital Damascus on Friday, September 22, 2024. (credit: THAIER AL-SUDANI/REUTERS)

The sources stated that while the militias were eager to advance the exchange, Israeli resistance had stalled progress.

What happened to Elizabeth Tsurkov?

Tsurkov went missing in March 2023 and was confirmed kidnapped by July. The Prime Minister’s Office attributed her abduction to Kataib Hezbollah, a group closely aligned with Iran.

She was last seen in a video released by her captors shortly after the Israel-Hamas War began, in which she referenced the conflict.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein reportedly told Axios on January 23 that Tsurkov was alive and that Iraq was working to secure her release. However, the Iraqi government denied making these statements just two days later. Iraq’s stringent anti-normalization laws carry severe penalties, including life imprisonment or execution, for those found guilty.

Corinne Baum contributed to this report.