Overview

• Mosab Abu Toha was awarded the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for his essays on Gaza published in The New Yorker.
• Emily Damari, held hostage by Hamas for nearly 500 days, criticized the decision, calling Abu Toha a 'modern-day equivalent of a Holocaust denier.'
• Abu Toha has publicly questioned the legitimacy of Israeli hostages, including Damari, and dismissed documented atrocities such as the murder of the Bibas family.
• The Pulitzer Board defended its decision, stating the award was based on a review of submitted works, but has not addressed the controversy directly.
• The decision has reignited debates over the ethics of journalism awards and the broader implications of recognizing figures who deny or diminish victim accounts.