No deal behind academic Elizabeth Tsurkov's release in Iraq, sources say
Kidnapped in Baghdad in March of 2023, Tsurkov was set free late Tuesday, hours after Israel carried out an unprecedented strike in Qatar targeting Hamas leaders. She was handed over to the US embassy in Iraq, then flown the following day to Israel.
The Iraqi government, which always maintained it was working tirelessly to find Tsurkov, previously said she was abducted by "outlaws", while US President Donald Trump said she was released by the powerful pro-Iran group Kataeb Hezbollah.
"No deal was struck to release the Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov," a source close to the Iraqi government told AFP on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to the media.
"She was released without anything in exchange... only under pressure," he added, without providing details as to the nature of the pressure.
Another source close to the government likewise said "there was no deal, no payment, no prisoner release" in exchange.
Kataeb Hezbollah had previously implied it was not involved in the abduction, but a source in the group told AFP on Tuesday that Tsurkov was released "to spare Iraq any conflicts or fighting".
Tsurkov was released the same day that Israel targeted Hamas leaders in Doha, making Qatar the latest in a string of Middle Eastern countries Israel has struck since the outbreak of its war with Hamas in Gaza in October 2023.
After the Gaza war began, pro-Iran armed groups, including Kataeb Hezbollah, launched numerous attacks on US troops stationed in Iraq, as well as mostly failed attacks on Israel.
US forces responded with heavy strikes, and the attacks have long since halted.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not respond to an AFP's question about Tsurkov being part of a deal.
Following her release, Lebanese local media reported that she was part of an exchange deal that included Lebanese Hezbollah members held in Israel.
But a senior Lebanese official told AFP he was unaware of any plans for Lebanese citizens to be released from Israel.
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