"Self-Serving Leaders"
Two Years in Hell: Tsurkov Speaks—And Her First Message Is a Political Bomb
Former hostage Elizabeth Tsurkov criticizes political leaders in her first public statement since release, advocating for Gaza residents and remaining hostages in emotional plea.
Just weeks after her release from a lengthy ordeal in captivity, Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov has utilized her first public platform to issue a sharp condemnation of political leadership, writing a plea for relief for both Gaza residents and the hostages still held in the Strip.
Tsurkov, who was recently freed from a year-and-a-half-long abduction by an Islamic terror organization in Iraq, posted on her X (formerly Twitter) account Tuesday evening, directing her criticism at "leaders who only care about their survival."
A Plea for Relief
In her emotional post, the Middle East expert focused her sympathy on the victims of the ongoing conflict, directly linking their suffering to political expediency:
"God grant relief to the residents of Gaza, and to the hungry, wounded, and exhausted hostages. Everyone is paying a heavy price for the decisions of these leaders."
Tsurkov’s comments echo a sentiment she was forced to express during her confinement. In November 2024, eight months after her abduction, a video was released by her captors in which she delivered a statement, believed to be a coerced confession where she "admitted" to working for the Mossad and the CIA, and called for an end to the war in Gaza to facilitate the release of the hostages.
Expert on the Middle East
Tsurkov, who was taken captive in Iraq in March 2023, is a highly respected academic specializing in Syria, ISIS, and regional dynamics.
At the time of her abduction, Tsurkov was pursuing a doctorate in Political Science at Princeton University in the United States. She is a graduate of Tel Aviv University (M.A. in Middle Eastern History) and Hebrew University (B.A. in Communications and International Relations), and holds research fellowships with the Forum for Regional Thinking and the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia. Her release was confirmed in September 2025.