Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian graduate who was taken hostage by Hezbollah in Iraq in 2023 has been released, according to the White House and President Trump.
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump announced Tsurkov's release.
"I will always fight for JUSTICE, and never give up. HAMAS, RELEASE THE HOSTAGES, NOW!" - President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/Wdqyr6M0lC
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 9, 2025
The post reads:
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 was completing her PhD field work in Baghdad’s Karrada neighborhood when Kata'ib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Shiite militia, captured her. Tsurkov's Israeli citizenship likely played a role in her abduction. After being taken hostage, Tsurkov's sister Emma described Tsurkov as "a kind person, a brilliant scholar, and a committed human rights activist." Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said Tsurkov's capture "within a pattern of targeted kidnappings in Iraq by state-affiliated and non-state actors, all carried out with impunity."
The release of Tsurskov comes one day after President Trump gave terror organization Hamas a final warning on Truth Social, writing, "Everyone wants the Hostages HOME. Everyone wants this War to end! The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well. I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one! Thank you for your attention to this matter."
President Trump did not elaborate on what those consequences would be. However, this morning , Israel carried out strikes in Doha, Qatar, that targeted Hamas leadership.