A kidnapped Princeton University student has been seen for the first time since he was abducted eight months ago in Iraq — in a propaganda video warning that Israeli hostages will be killed if Israel continues its “foolish” war.
Elizabeth Tsurkov – an Israeli-Russian national studying political science at an Ivy League school based in New Jersey – has not been heard from since March when she was captured in Baghdad by the Shiite group Kataeb Hezbollah.
But in a four-minute clip uploaded to the Telegram Monday, a woman who looks like Tsurkov is seen purportedly claiming to be a spy – while warning that Israel’s war on Hamas “will lead to hostages being killed.”
“I am in a difficult place,” the 36-year-old academic said in Hebrew in the video, which could not immediately be independently verified.
“To my family, to my mother and father, Rina, Arkady, Emma, Avital, David, my friends, I call on them to work to get my release as soon as possible so that I can return to them.”
A woman claiming to be Elizabeth Tsurkov, 36, appeared in a video claiming to be a member of the CIA and Mossad trying to incite terrorism in Iraq.Al Rabiaa TV/X
The hostages claimed in the clip to be Mossad and CIA agents trying to create terror and demonstrations in Iraq, before addressing the families of more than 220 Israelis held by murderous Hamas terrorists.
“This war is being waged foolishly [Israeli President Benjamin] Netanyahu … will have the hostages killed,” the woman said in Hebrew, according to The New York Times.
Tsurkov had just left a cafe in a middle-class neighborhood of Baghdad in March when he was kidnapped by members of the Kataeb Hezbollah terrorist group. Ahmad Mohamad/Facebook
“If you want your sons and daughters to come back to life, the war must stop.”
A spokesman for the Tsurkov family said it was “encouraging to see this video of proof of life, clearly recorded in recent weeks.”
“While we cannot comment on what Elizabeth said, we appreciate that this is an important step in the process of bringing her home to her family,” the spokesperson said.
A senior Israeli official denied the hostage was a spy, saying Tsurkov was “absolutely not a Mossad member, period, exclamation point, underscore.
“He is an innocent Israeli citizen doing doctoral work at Princeton,” the official said. “There is no connection between the Israeli officials and Elizabeth.”
Tsurkov had just left a cafe in a middle-class neighborhood of Baghdad in March when he was abducted by members of the terrorist group, his family and others familiar with the case told the Times.
He used his Russian passport to visit Iraq in January “in pursuit of a doctoral thesis from Princeton University,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the summer.
“This incident is being handled by relevant agencies in Israel out of concern for the safety and well-being of Elizabeth Tsurkov,” Netanyahu’s office said.
“We hold Iraq responsible for its security and well-being,” he added.
With Postal wire.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
