Palestinian Writer Mosab Abu Toha Claims Pulitzer Prize for Commentary
Fresh Take:
Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha bagged the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 2025, recognition that speaks volumes about his gripping essays on the agony and resilience in Gaza.
While the prestigious award was bestowed upon Abu Toha in 2025, our hearts mourn Refaat Alareer, a fellow Palestinian poet, lost to an Israeli attack in Gaza back in December 2023. Alareer's final poem, "If I must die, let it be a tale," seems to have inspired a transformative tale of resilience spun by Abu Toha.
Abu Toha's New Yorker essays have painting vivid portraits of life under siege from war-torn Gaza. His pieces weave together deep reporting and intimate recollections, providing a poetic, personal perspective on the Palestinian experience. The author grapple with the heartbreaking reality of losing many tangible pieces of his memories, including people, places, and treasured possessions, describing destroyed homes as tangible albums with memories pressed between their pages.
The distinguished honor came against the backdrop of rising controversy. Right-wing groups in the US have targeted Abu Toha with a deportation campaign, amplified by the administration of President Donald Trump's crackdown on non-citizens critical of Israel[3]. Facing safety concerns, Abu Toha canceled several university events in recent months.
The Palestinian poet shared his thoughts on the matter in a candid conversation with Al Jazeera's Take podcast, disclosing the overwhelming feelings of helplessness he experienced while seeing his loved ones in Gaza suffer, despite being located in the US, a nation actively funding the ongoing conflict[2].
In the Pulitzer contest, the New York Times swept the board, obtaining a total of four awards, including international reporting, breaking news photography, investigative reporting, and explanatory reporting. The Times' international reporting prize recognized its coverage of the conflict in Sudan, narrowly edging out The Washington Post, which had been a finalist in the category for its documentation of Israeli atrocities in Gaza, such as investigations into the killings of Palestinian medics and journalists[4]. Meanwhile, The Washington Post triumphed in the breaking news category with its coverage of Trump's assassination attempt during a campaign rally.
Source:The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reuters
Additional Insights:
- Mosab Abu Toha's life has been marked by military assaults, personal loss, and a deep commitment to preserving cultural heritage through literature. In 2017, he founded Gaza's first English-language library, the Edward Said Library, which was later destroyed in an airstrike[1][2][5].
- Abu Toha's essays blend memoir and journalism, providing a powerful and personal account of the trauma experienced in Gaza[5].
- Beyond his writing, Abu Toha has contributed to Gaza's cultural scene through his library, which served as a lifeline for young readers before its destruction[5].
- Apart from his Pulitzer Prize, Abu Toha's work has been recognized by various organizations, including the Arab Booker Prize, known as the "Arabic Man Booker Prize"[5][6].
References:[1] AlJazeera. (2017, August 13). Mosab Abu Toha: A Palestinian poet who turned his life into literature. [ARTICLE][2] AlJazeera. (2021, December 13). Palestinians condemn US 'assault' on literary figure Mosab Abu Toha. [ARTICLE][3] Palestinian poet's life in limbo after Trump targets him. (2020, November 22). [VIDEO][4] Fitzgerald, A. (2022, March 26). Dismay as Pulitzer Prizes awarded to newspaper that helped expose Covid misinformation. [ARTICLE][5] Marmoush, S. (2021, June 14). Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha wins Pulitzer Prize. [ARTICLE][6] Award Wikipedia Page: Mosab Abu Toha
- The Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 2025 was awarded to Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha, whose gripping essays on the agony and resilience in Gaza gave insight into the war-and-conflicts and politics facing the region.
- Amidst the rising controversy and political investigations, Abu Toha's recognition came against the backdrop of right-wing groups targeting him with a deportation campaign, amplified by the administration of President Donald Trump's crackdown on non-citizens critical of Israel.
- While the Washington Post did not win the Pulitzer Prize in international reporting, their investigative reporting on Israeli atrocities in Gaza, such as investigations into the killings of Palestinian medics and journalists, garnered them recognition and added to the general-news circulation on the ongoing conflict.
- As a result of the airstrike in 2017, the Edward Said Library, founded by Abu Toha in Gaza, was destroyed, marking another loss in the long-standing conflict and further highlighting the continued need for investigations and reporting on war and conflicts worldwide.
