By: Fern Sidman

The decision to award Palestinian writer Mosab Abu Toha a Pulitzer Prize has ignited a firestorm of outrage in both Israel and the Jewish diaspora, after numerous incendiary and deeply offensive social media posts surfaced in which the poet repeatedly vilified former Israeli hostages, denied acts of torture by Hamas, and endorsed widely debunked propaganda disseminated by the Iranian-backed terror organization.

PBS gushing over the Palestinian propagandist on NewsHour

As The Jewish News of the UK reported on Wednesday, Abu Toha — who was awarded the Pulitzer for a series of reflective essays in The New Yorker chronicling life in Gaza — has used his substantial social media following throughout 2025 to push a narrative that not only distorts facts but also demeans the lived experiences of Israeli survivors of Hamas captivity.

According to a detailed exposé by the media watchdog Honest Reporting, Abu Toha made multiple posts describing former hostages, including women and musicians, as “killers,” while mocking internationally verified testimonies of torture and abuse.

One of the most disturbing examples cited by The Jewish News of the UK involved Emily Damari, a 29-year-old UK-Israeli dual citizen and former IDF soldier who was taken hostage on October 7 from Kibbutz Be’eri. Held for 471 days, Damari suffered a gunshot wound to the hand and was later subjected to what her mother described as grotesque medical mistreatment by Hamas. Despite these reports, Abu Toha questioned her suffering on January 24, writing: “How on earth is this girl called a hostage?”

Meet Pulitzer Prize winner Mosab Abu Toha. He justifies the kidnapping of Israelis on Oct. 7.

We aren’t going to congratulate him for his prize. Instead, we’re going to ask @PulitzerPrizes whether they bothered to check his social media.

Because we did, and it’s not pretty. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/qQAMQGi0IK

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) May 7, 2025

Another former captive, 28-year-old violinist and ex-Gaza border scout Agam Berger, was similarly derided. After attending her sister’s Air Force graduation following her 482-day ordeal, Abu Toha labeled her a “killer” in a February 3 post, dismissing her experience of confinement, forced conversion, and humiliation.

In a separate post on February 21, Abu Toha cast doubt on the horrific murder of the Bibas brothers — nine-month-old Kfir and four-year-old Ariel — whose abduction by Hamas was captured on video and whose deaths were later confirmed when their bodies were returned by the terror group, The Jewish News of the UK reported. “Shame on BBC, propaganda machine,” he wrote, dismissing forensic reports that the toddlers were murdered “with bare hands.”

DISGRACEFUL:
Mosab Abu Toha, an unreliable, biased writer, has won this year’s Pulitzer Prize for a series of slanderous articles about Israel’s war in Gaza.

Eezy peezy … a Pulitzer Prize for whitewashing terror. pic.twitter.com/4B7wx8Yu0t

— Dr. Lenny K (@LennyBoyUSA) May 7, 2025

 As The Jewish News of the UK report noted, Abu Toha’s denialism and hostility extend beyond specific hostages. On multiple occasions, he referred to released Hamas prisoners as “hostages” and accused Israel of torturing Palestinians, while denying similar treatment had occurred against Israelis. “When the Israeli hostages were released, did you see any torture signs?” he asked in one post, despite a wealth of medical and legal evidence to the contrary.

Survivor Eli Sharabi, who was held for 471 days, directly contradicted Abu Toha’s claims in testimony before the UN. “I was chained, starved, and beaten. I weighed 44 kilos — half my body weight,” Sharabi revealed. In addition, a report by Israel’s health ministry, as cited by The Jewish News of the UK documented sexual abuse among teen hostages, as well as psychological trauma.

In yet another inflammatory post dated April 13, Abu Toha repeated the long-debunked Hamas claim that Israel bombed the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza in October 2023. “Remember when Israel denied its responsibility for the bombing?” he wrote. As was explained in the report in The Jewish News of the UK, investigations by independent agencies and U.S. intelligence have since concluded that the explosion was caused by a misfired rocket from within Gaza — a finding thoroughly reported in mainstream outlets and endorsed by international analysts.

Gil Hoffman, executive director of Honest Reporting, sharply criticized the Pulitzer Prize Committee in remarks to The Jewish News of the UK. “The Pulitzer Prize is the top award in journalism and should not be blemished by bestowing it on a man who repeatedly twisted facts, justifies abducting civilians from their homes, and spreads fake news,” Hoffman said.

Israel’s Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, was even more blunt. “These posts are an absolute disgrace. This man should be condemned, not celebrated. Any decent person reading them should feel sick to their stomach,” he told The Jewish News of the UK.

Despite the mounting controversy, the Pulitzer Board has refused to walk back the award. In a statement sent to The Jewish News of the UK, the board defended its decision, stating, “The Pulitzer Board is committed to recognizing excellence in reporting, literature, history and culture, and the selection process for each award is based on a review of the submitted works.” When asked whether Abu Toha’s social media history would prompt a reconsideration, the board declined to comment directly.

The decision has left many in the Jewish world reeling, particularly in light of the growing global surge in antisemitic incidents following Hamas’ October 7 massacre, in which more than 1,200 Israelis were murdered and hundreds taken hostage. For survivors and their families, Abu Toha’s statements are more than just offensive — they represent a willful erasure of trauma and suffering.

As The Jewish News of the UK report indicated, Abu Toha’s portrayal of Israeli civilians as aggressors while shielding Hamas from accountability is not merely a misreading of the facts — it is a dangerous rewriting of history. And for many Jewish observers, the notion that such rhetoric could be rewarded with one of journalism’s highest honors is both bewildering and deeply troubling.