Freed Israeli Hostage Elizabeth Tsurkov Describes Torture, Sexual Assault by Iran-Backed Terror Group in Iraq

Freed Israeli hostage Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was released after two and a half years in captivity, recounted being beaten, tortured, electrocuted, and sexually assaulted by the Kataib Hezbollah terrorist group in Iraq, describing the abuse in an interview published on Wednesday.

In her first appearance since being freed in September, Tsurkov told The New York Times that her Iran-aligned captors “basically used [her] as a punching bag”— especially during the first months after her abduction.

Tsurkov, a dual Israeli-Russian national and Princeton University student, was kidnapped in March 2023 after agreeing to meet a woman who had reached out to her on WhatsApp, claiming she needed help researching the Iran-backed Islamist group.

After showing up to the alleged meeting at a Baghdad coffee shop, Tsurkov was forced into an SUV by several men, who repeatedly beat and sexually assaulted her.

“I genuinely believe I would have died,” she said, noting the Trump administration’s “incredible determination” in negotiating and ultimately securing her release.

Tsurkov expressed her gratitude to US President Donald Trump, the administration officials who helped secure her release, and Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for hostages and missing persons, praising their efforts and unwavering support throughout her captivity.

Over the course of more than two years, Tsurkov was held in confinement by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist group that has never explicitly admitted to abducting her, enduring conditions similar to those faced by hostages held by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.

Eight months after her abduction, Tsurkov was seen on Iraqi TV for the first time, providing proof she was still alive while being forced to admit she worked as an Israeli and US spy.

During her two years in solitary confinement, Tsurkov said she initially kept her Israeli identity a secret. However, her abductors eventually discovered evidence on her phone and accused her of being a spy.

Even after she tried to demonstrate her pro-Palestinian stance by showing some of her online posts to them, her captors’ treatment of her grew even more brutal.

When she refused to confess to being a spy, Tsurkov said she was “strung up and tortured.”

In her interview, she described one of her captors, referred to as “the colonel,” as “very filthy and very obsessed with sex,” saying he repeatedly threatened her with rape and grabbed a tattoo on her thigh.

In September, Tsurkov was handed over to the Iraqi government, where female doctors examined her weakened physical state, marking her first contact with women since her abduction.

During such a traumatic experience, she recalled that seeing people, including one of her sisters on TV, advocate for her release gave her a sense of hope and helped sustain her strength.

Tsurkov is now in Israel, undergoing rehabilitation for the severe injuries she endured during her captivity. She spends most of her days lying on her back, as sitting or standing remains too painful. 

Due to the relentless beatings, she also revealed that she is missing a tooth and continues to suffer constant pain.