In a recent development, additional hostages, including Israeli-Russian women, have been freed by Hamas in Gaza as part of a truce deal with Israel, while four Thai workers were also released.

Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian academic and Princeton University graduate student abducted in Iraq by the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah group in March, recently appeared in a video criticizing Israel's actions in Gaza and claiming she was a spy for the West.

Princeton University confirmed that Elizabeth Tsurkov was conducting authorized research for her Ph. D. thesis in Iraq when she was kidnapped by militants.