Israel moves closer to prisoner swap for researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov

Israel moves closer to prisoner swap for researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov
2025-01-31 10:38

Shafaq News/ Israel is nearing a prisoner exchange deal to secure the release of Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov in exchange for Hezbollah prisoners held by Israel during the recent war in Lebanon.

Last October, the group’s Secretary-General, Naim Kassem, acknowledged that some of its fighters were held by Israel during the war between October 2023 and November 2024 but did not specify the number. However, sources said there are seven.

Lebanese and Iraqi sources told Amwaj that among those set for release is Imad Amhaz, a Lebanese marine captain who was captured in a special operation conducted by Israel’s naval commando unit, Shayetet 13, on November 1, 2024, in the northern Lebanese coastal town of Batroun, located more than 160 km (100 miles) from the Israeli border.

Israel has described Amhaz as Hezbollah’s naval chief, a claim rejected by Hezbollah.

Tsurkov, a US-based political science researcher, first traveled to Baghdad in early 2022 following multiple trips to Iraqi Kurdistan. She resided in Baghdad’s Karrada district before leaving in November of that year, returning two months later to continue her doctoral research, which included interviews with members of the Sadrist Movement. She briefly left Iraq in January 2023 to renew her visa and returned in March, after which she was reportedly abducted while attempting to meet a senior Sadrist commander.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi Iran-aligned armed group, of being behind the kidnapping. The group has not publicly confirmed any involvement. An Iraqi senior source close to Shiite armed factions stated to Amwaj that Tsurkov’s captors have shown a willingness to proceed with an exchange, but Israel has not yet agreed to the proposed deal.

Last week, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told Axios that Tsurkov remains alive and that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani is actively working to secure her release.

In November 2023, a video aired on Al Rabiaa TV showing Tsurkov, where she claimed she had been detained for seven months and had worked for the CIA and Mossad in Iraq and Syria. Her family and friends quickly dismissed these claims, emphasizing that Tsurkov is a scholar focused on academic research.

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