Elizabeth Tsurkov

This page is subject to the extended confirmed restriction related to the Arab-Israeli conflict.Elizabeth Tsurkov (Hebrew: אליזבט צורקוב; born November 11, 1986)[1][2] is a Russian-Israeli researcher who was kidnapped in Baghdad in March 2023, and is being held by the group Kata'ib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia backed by Iran.

Tsurkov fiercely opposed the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and its military operations against Gaza.

[12][13] Tsurkov has written about the Middle East, and particularly the Syrian civil war, for publications such as +972 Magazine,[14] The Forward,[15] Haaretz,[16] The New York Times,[17] and The Washington Post.

[20] Multiple Princeton scholars and employees, including Professors Amaney Jamal, Tali Mendelberg and Mark Beissinger, were aware of her research in Baghdad.

[26] On November 13, 2023, a 4-minute video of Tsurkov was released on Telegram and subsequently aired by Al Rabiaa TV.

[19] In the video, which could not be authenticated, Tsurkov says she had been detained for seven months, although she does not identify her captors or location, and she also mentions the 2023 Israel-Hamas war.