JNS
“I spoke with Emma and Avital, her sisters, and during the emotional conversation I told them that all of Israel is happy to see her back home,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Elizabeth Tsurkov arrived in Israel on Wednesday, a day after the Leningrad-born graduate student was released from two years of captivity in Iraq.
"The head of the Mossad thanks his Cypriot counterpart for the assistance in facilitating Elizabeth’s humanitarian transfer through Cyprus to Israel. The cooperation between the two countries once again proves itself," read a joint statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and the Mossad intelligence agency.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone call with Tsurkov and her brother David, the PMO said on Wednesday night.
Tsurkov was said to have expressed gratitude to Netanyahu and all those who worked for her release, describing harsh conditions she endured in captivity and expressing hope for the return of all remaining hostages.
According to the readout, Netanyahu welcomed Tsurkov home, wishing her a full recovery, and emphasized that "great efforts were invested over a long period" to secure her return to the Jewish state.
The premier highlighted the assistance of numerous actors, particularly President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Adam Boehler, the U.S. special envoy for hostage affairs, and Israel's hostage affairs coordinator, Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch.
Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment to securing the release of remaining 48 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Photos and video released by the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday evening showed Tsurkov's emotional reunion with her family and friends at Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer in Ramat Gan.
Trump announced on Tuesday that Tsurkov, 38, an Israeli born to Russian parents who was kidnapped from Baghdad two years ago, had been freed.
“I am pleased to report that Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton student, whose sister is an American citizen, was just released by Kata’ib Hezbollah” and is now “safely in the American embassy in Iraq after being tortured for many months,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
Tsurkov, who is Jewish, was kidnapped by the Iranian-backed Iraqi Shi’ite militia Kata’ib Hezbollah (“The Battalions of the Party of God”) in early 2023 while studying in Baghdad for her doctoral dissertation.
Netanyahu’s office confirmed shortly after midnight Israel time that Tsurkov had been released.
Her release had been secured through “great efforts” led by Hirsch, “which lasted many long months,” said Netanyahu.
“This evening, I spoke with Emma and Avital, her sisters, and during the emotional conversation I told them that all of Israel is happy to see her back home,” he continued.
Israel “will continue to fight with strength and determination until we bring all of our hostages back home, both the living and those who have fallen,” he said.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog likewise expressed joy over Tsurkov’s release, writing on X that “the end of the nightmare she went through and her return to freedom is great news."
He continued, “I thank everyone involved in the work to secure Elizabeth’s release, and all those who fought for her both around the world and here in Israel. A special thanks to all partners, and especially to U.S. President Donald Trump for his commitment to her release.
“May we soon hear good news also about the 48 hostages who are still being cruelly held in the hell of captivity in Gaza,” Herzog said.
