US hostage envoy Boehler credits Trump's threats for release of Israeli Elizabeth Tsurkov

Following the release of Elizabeth Tsurkov – the Israeli researcher held hostage in Iraq since March 2023 – U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Response Adam Boehler credited President Donald Trump.

Boehler noted that while he had been working for months to secure her release since his appointment as hostage envoy, a recent decision by Trump likely played a decisive role.

“The United States did not give anything in return for Tsurkov’s release,” Boehler stressed in an interview with the Jerusalem Post. “What happened, we believe, is that on Friday, the president signed an executive order stating that the US will impose repercussions – determined by the president – on anyone who takes an ally or an American hostage. We believe her release came in direct response to that.” 

Trump recently signed an executive order that gave the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio the authority to designate another country as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention for holding a U.S. citizen captive, or for being complicit in a U.S. citizen’s captivity by providing “material support” to a group holding a citizen hostage. 

"The bottom line: Anyone who uses an American as a bargaining chip will pay the price. This administration is not only putting America first but also putting Americans first," Rubio said in a statement following Trump’s signing of the executive order. 

Since taking office, President Trump has taken considerable measures to return American citizens detained, jailed, or held hostage in other countries, and has returned 72 Americans, according to U.S. officials. 

As part of that effort, Trump appointed Boehler as the Special Envoy for Hostage Response to work with Israeli Hostage and Missing Persons Coordinator Gal Hirsch, who helped to coordinate Israel’s efforts to free Tsurkov. 

Boehler told The Jerusalem Post that although he was prepared to issue threats to the Shiite Kataib Hezbollah militia holding Tsurkov and to pressure the Iraqi government, he believes it was Trump’s action that ultimately secured her release.

“The release happened because everyone understood – when President Trump threatens, he is serious. Hamas should understand this as well,” he said. 

“These are terrorists holding people,” Boehler added. “It’s the exact same dynamic. The reality is the president is going to keep fighting. He has done it across the board – for all Americans, and he has made it clear he will continue to fight for Israelis too. We still have two American citizens in Gaza, and he has instructed us to keep working until all the hostages are home.” 

Tsurkov’s family thanked President Trump and Boehler following her release.

“We are so thankful to President Trump and his Special Envoy, Adam Boehler. If Adam had not made my sister’s return his personal mission, I don’t know where we would be,” Emma Tsurkov, Elizabeth's sister, wrote on 𝕏.

While Tsurkov is not a U.S. citizen – she holds dual Israeli and Russian citizenship – her role as a Princeton graduate student provided the necessary basis for U.S. government involvement. 

While a recent report in Israeli media claimed that the Israeli government had little to do with Tsurkov's release, Iran's Tasnim News agency reported that two members of Iranian proxy groups were handed over as part of an exchange to secure her release.

Among those released was senior Hezbollah member Imad Amhaz, who had been captured in a daring raid by Israel’s elite Shayetet 13 naval unit in northern Lebanon last November.

Earlier this year, the UK-based news outlet Amwaj Media wrote that Tsurkov may be released in exchange for several Hezbollah terrorists captured during Israeli operations in Lebanon.