A video of Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli researcher who was abducted by the Kata’ib Hezbollah terror group in Iraq in March, was released on Monday.

Tsurkov, who also holds Russian citizenship, was in Iraq doing research for her doctorate from Princeton University. The video, which was aired on Iraq’s Al Rabiaa TV channel, is the first sign of life since her abduction.

The video shows Tsurkov, in statements obviously dictated to her, claiming that she came to Iraq as an operative of Mossad and the CIA and was tasked with causing strife, violence, and protests among the Shia populations in Iraq. She also slams Israel’s war in Gaza, an indication that the video was filmed in the past month.

Tsurkov’s sister, Emma, told Ynet that she and her family were relieved to see a sign of life.

“We are relieved to see our Liza alive. We won’t comment on the content of her statements, as it’s clear she said them under duress. However, she appears to be in good health considering the circumstances, and the video seems to have been filmed not long ago. The release of this video is a significant step in the efforts to bring her back home to her loving family.”

Following the publication of the video, Iraqi officials said that they are making efforts to locate Tsurkov, AFP reported.

“The security services are still following the case of the disappearance of the Russian citizen in Baghdad and are sparing no effort to find any leads leading to the kidnapped person,” Husham al-Rikabi, a communications advisor to Iraq’s prime minister, said on Tuesday.

“We hope soon (to find) leads or evidence that will lead the competent authorities to her,” he told AFP.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)