Elizabeth Tsurkov, the Russian-Israeli researcher who was held hostage by Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq for 903 days, landed in Israel on Wednesday evening and arrived at Sheba Medical Center for treatment.
The Prime Minister's Office and Mossad welcomed her return, stating, "Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was held hostage in Iraq and released last night, has landed in Israel."
The Mossad chief thanked his Cypriot counterpart for assisting with Tsurkov's humanitarian transfer through Cyprus to Israel.
At the airport, Tsurkov was met by a senior representative from Hostage and Missing Persons Coordinator Gal Hirsch's team and a medical team. She will be taken to a hospital for examinations as part of the "hostage return protocol."
Announcement of Tsurkov's release
US President Donald Trump initially made the announcement that Tsurkov would be released.
A researcher from Princeton University, she had initially arrived in Iraq through her Russian passport to conduct research on behalf of the institution, according to the Prime Minister's Office. Her initial kidnapping had not been disclosed for the first few months, and she had previously been reported missing.
"There's no feeling like seeing someone freed and realizing it actually happened," US Special Envoy for Hostage Response Adam Boehler told The Jerusalem Post in a Wednesday interview.
Seth J. Frantzman and Amichai Stein contributed to this report.