Kidnapped Israeli Elizabeth Tsurkov is alive in Iraq and efforts are being made to release her

Iraqi's foreign minister announced that the government in Baghdad is working to release the researcher, who was kidnapped two years ago by a pro-Iranian militia; New push comes with Israel increasing efforts to free her in the background, and optimism in the shadow of Trump's return to the White House and the hostage deal with Hamas

Elizabeth Tsurkov, the Israeli researcher who was kidnapped in Iraq almost two years ago, is alive and the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, is working to free her, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein told the American news website Axios Thursday.
Tsurkov, 36, an Israeli national with Russian citizenship who was living in the United States during her Princeton University doctoral studies, was abducted on March 26, 2023, in Baghdad while conducting research. Authorities believe she is held by Kataib Hezbollah, a pro-Iranian militia, though the group denies involvement.
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אליזבט צורקוב
אליזבט צורקוב
Elizabeth Tsurkov was abducted in Iraq almost two years ago
(Photo: Ahmad Mohamad/AFP)
The Iraqi foreign minister's comments come about two weeks after a senior Israeli official told the Washington Post that Israel had recently stepped up efforts to free Tsurkov . He said that Israel's allies are also involved in these efforts, and the issue was even raised at a meeting of special envoys for hostage affairs in Jerusalem this week.
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The Israeli official said that the envoys came from the U.S., Britain, Germany, Austria and Canada, and met with members of the Tsurkov family. Israel asked them to use their embassies in Baghdad to put pressure on the Iraqi government to seek a way to begin negotiations. Since Israel and Iraq do not have diplomatic relations, the government official said that he hopes that other countries will assist in the efforts. "Many countries have embassies and relations with Iraq," he said.

Emma Tsurkov confronts Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani during an event in Washington DC in April 2023

The senior Israeli official who spoke to The Washington Post added that, after months of covert efforts, Israel now believes that "changes in the region" have created an opportunity to act publicly for Tsurkov's release. Alongside the strategic blow suffered by Iran and its proxies during the war, another major change that has sparked optimism is the return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House, and the deadline Trump set has already helped reach the hostage deal with Hamas and its actual implementation.
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