Hostage Slams Pulitzer for Awarding Writer Who Disparaged Her Captivity
Israeli hostage Emily Damari has strongly criticized the Pulitzer Prize board’s decision to award Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha for his essays on Gaza. Damari asserts that Toha has a history of disparaging Israeli hostages, including herself, on social media, and that the Pulitzer board’s decision represents a failure of basic human decency.
Damari, who was held captive by Hamas for nearly 500 days following the October 7th attacks, directly addressed the Pulitzer board in a statement posted on X. She accused the organization of elevating a voice that "denies truth, erases victims, and desecrates the memory of the murdered." Damari highlighted the Pulitzer Prize’s stated commitment to honoring journalism that upholds truth, democracy, and human dignity, arguing that Toha’s social media posts stand in stark contrast to these values.
The controversy stems from Toha’s frequent questioning of the hostage status of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas. In a January 24, 2025 post, Toha specifically targeted Damari, a 29-year-old who lost two fingers during her abduction. He questioned whether she should be considered a "hostage," noting her status as a soldier near the border with Gaza.
Damari recounted her harrowing experience of being abducted from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, shot, and dragged into Gaza. She emphasized that she was one of 251 individuals, including men, women, children, and the elderly, kidnapped on that day. She detailed the terror, starvation, and abuse she endured during her captivity, and expressed her ongoing anguish for her friends, Gali and Ziv Berman, who remain hostages in Hamas tunnels.
Further fueling the controversy, Toha also disparaged Agam Berger, another Israeli hostage who was held for 482 days. In a February 3, 2025 post, Toha criticized the media’s portrayal of Berger as a victim, highlighting her past service as a Gaza border scout and her family’s connection to the Israeli Air Force. He questioned why the world should sympathize with "killers who join the army and have family in the army."
Berger, a 28-year-old violinist, was released from captivity on January 30. She later shared details of her ordeal, including how she managed to observe Jewish traditions like Sabbath and Passover despite her captors’ attempts to force her to convert to Islam. She also recounted being held in a small room with no natural light alongside another hostage, Liri Albag.
Damari accused Toha of outright denials of documented atrocities, including the murder of the Bibas children, Kfir, a 9-month-old infant, and Ariel, 4 years old. Toha also propagated the discredited claim that Israel was responsible for the bombing of the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza in October 2023. He also appeared to cast doubt on reports of torture experienced by Israeli hostages, despite numerous testimonies from released captives detailing instances of torture, including sexual assault.
Damari emphasized the gravity of Toha’s statements, comparing him to a modern-day Holocaust denier. She argued that by honoring him with a Pulitzer Prize, the board was complicit in his denial and disregard for the suffering of victims.
Damari concluded her statement by asserting that the issue transcends politics and is fundamentally about humanity. She believes the Pulitzer board failed to uphold basic principles of human decency by rewarding someone who has actively minimized and denied the experiences of hostages and victims of terrorism.
In response to inquiries, a Pulitzer Prize representative stated that the awards are based on a review of works formally submitted for consideration. The representative did not directly address the controversy surrounding Toha’s award. As of the time of reporting, The New Yorker and Toha have not responded to requests for comment.
The awarding of the Pulitzer Prize to Toha has sparked widespread condemnation from various groups and individuals who view his social media posts as deeply offensive and insensitive to the suffering of Israeli hostages and their families. The controversy raises questions about the Pulitzer Prize board’s criteria for evaluating submissions and its commitment to upholding ethical standards in journalism and literature. The incident also underscores the complex and deeply divisive nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the challenges of representing narratives from both sides in a fair and accurate manner.
