Emily Damari Condemns Pulitzer Award to Gaza Writer

In a powerful and deeply personal message, released Israeli hostage Emily Damari condemned the Pulitzer Prize Board on Thursday for awarding its prestigious prize to Gaza poet Mosab Abu Toha a man she says openly denied her captivity and downplayed the atrocities committed by Hamas.

Damari, who was held in Gaza for 471 days following her abduction on October 7, took to Instagram to express her outrage. “By awarding a prize to someone who denies the truth and degrades the memory of the murdered, you acted in direct contradiction to the journalistic values of truth, democracy, and human dignity,” she wrote.

Her comments came after HonestReporting revealed Abu Toha’s troubling social media posts, including one in which he questioned whether Damari, then in captivity, should be called a hostage. On January 24, 2025, he wrote of Damari: “How on earth is this girl called a hostage?” casting her as an occupier rather than a victim, and similarly denying the murder of the Bibas family.

Damari did not hold back in her response: “This is not about word games—this is a blatant denial of documented crimes. I suffered from hunger, abuse, and humiliation. I witnessed the suffering of my fellow captives, saw hope slowly fade away. And even today, after returning home, I carry that darkness with me.”

Damari, now a symbol of strength and survival, made it clear that her criticism transcends politics. “This is not a political issue. This is a question of humanity,” she emphasized. “Mosab Abu Toha is not a brave writer he is the equivalent of a Holocaust denier in our era. By honoring him with this prize, you have joined the ranks of those who deny the truth.”

Abu Toha was awarded the Pulitzer for a series of essays about Gaza, but critics say his record includes denial of Israeli suffering and minimization of Hamas atrocities clear violations of the principles the prize claims to uphold.

“Can you imagine the pain and shock I felt when I learned that you awarded the Pulitzer Prize to the man who denied I was a hostage?” Damari asked. Her words have since reverberated across social media and in diplomatic circles, igniting a larger conversation about journalistic integrity and moral responsibility.

Damari’s courage in speaking out reflects the very values the Pulitzer Prize purports to defend. Her voice is a reminder that honoring those who whitewash terror not only distorts the truth it inflicts new wounds on those who have already suffered.

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