Latest news with #AbuToha
Daily Mirror
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Pulitzer Prize winner says 'I don't want to compare suffering' in poignant chat
Mosab Abu Toha, a Palestinian poet and essayist, won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for his writing on Palestinian suffering during the Israeli conflict. In an awkward interview with MSNBC this is side-lined Pulitzer Prize winner Mosab Abu Toha refused to compare suffering as he was awkwardly questioned in an interview with MSNBC 's Weekend Primetime. Abu Toha appeared on the chat-show to talk with Ayman Mohyeldin, Antonia Hylton and Catherine Rampell about winning the highest accolade within journalism. However, Rampell's line of questioning has caused reaction across social media, not least from Abu Toha himself. Rampell congratulated Mosab on his award, but in her words, it had come "not without controversy." The anchor continues to ask about the case of British-Israeli hostage, Emily Damari. As reported by the BBC , Damari was kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7. Damari lost two fingers, and was then released in January 2025. The MSNBC anchor queries Abu Toha about a possible comment about whether Damari was a hostage at all. In response, he refutes this. He said: "First of all, I did not question her status as a hostage." Instead, he explains that the language used to describe those incarcerated differs depending on whether they are Israeli or Palestinian. He continues: "I have people in my family who were kidnapped from checkpoints, from schools, from shelters, and they are named prisoners. So my question is, why should Emily and other hostages be named hostages while my loved ones should be named prisoners?" He says: "I have never denied anyone's suffering. Everyone is suffering, Israelis and Palestinians. But why are our sufferings not acknowledged? Why are we called terrorists?" Abu Toha has written extensively about Palestinian suffering. On his personal pain, he said: "I was kept hostage for 53 hours. I was blind-folded, and hand-cuffed, and was beaten in my face. I asked Israeli soldiers to see a doctor, and they denied me any medical treatment. Am I less human than anyone else? So that was the question." He tells the three MSNBC anchors that 31 members of his family were killed in one airstrike. In response to Damari being held hostage for 15 months, he says "I don't want to compare suffering." But he continues on to highlight the continued plight of Palestinians, by saying: "A cousin of mine was killed in October 2023, and her body remained under the rubble for 558 days. And still, her husband and her child are still under the rubble to this day." When he is asked about his Pulitzer win, he explains that being awarded the prize is bigger than his own story. He says: "My win is not my win as Mosab, it is for the stories I shared with the whole world. And I promise you there are so many stories that I have that I haven't written." Mosab Abu Toha won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, for his series of essays in the New Yorker on the war in Palestine. The Pulitzer Prize committee in awarding Abu Toha the prestigious prize said that his work as contributor to the New Yorker consisted of "essays on the physical and emotional carnage in Gaza that combine deep reporting with the intimacy of memoir to convey the Palestinian experience." He won the prize for four articles, which include, ' My Family's Daily Struggle to Find Food in Gaza ' and The Pain of Travelling While Palestinian,' both of which highlight the suffering caused to the Palestinian people during the Israeli conflict.
Roya News
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Roya News
Martin Scorsese congratulates Palestinian writer Mosab Abu Toha on Pulitzer win
Palestinian poet and author Abu Toha has been honored with the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, in recognition of his powerful essays chronicling the lives of Palestinians in Gaza. The essays, published in The New Yorker, intertwine firsthand accounts of war and personal reflections, offering readers a rare and deeply human perspective from within one of the world's most embattled regions. 'I have just won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary,' Abu Toha announced on X. 'Let it bring hope / Let it be a tale.' I have just won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. Let it bring hope Let it be a tale — Mosab Abu Toha (@MosabAbuToha) May 5, 2025 The Pulitzer committee praised his work for portraying 'the physical and emotional carnage in Gaza' in a way that merges 'deep reporting with the intimacy of memoir.' His writings document more than a year and a half of conflict in the region, with scenes ranging from daily survival to profound loss. Abu Toha, 32, has spent nearly his entire life in Gaza. In 2023, while attempting to escape the violence in northern Gaza with his wife and three children, he was detained by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). 'They separated me from my family, beat me, and interrogated me,' he later wrote. After an international outcry from colleagues and supporters, he was eventually released and allowed to travel to the US. In his essays, Abu Toha juxtaposes the struggle for food and safety in Gaza with memories of quieter days. 'I yearn to return to Gaza, sit at the kitchen table with my mother and father, and make tea for my sisters,' he wrote. 'I do not need to eat. I only want to look at them again.' One haunting piece recalls the devastation of Jabalia refugee camp, where he spent much of his childhood. 'I looked at the photos again and again, and an image of a graveyard that grows and grows formed in my mind,' he reflected. His work also highlights the indignities faced by Palestinians outside their homeland. He recounted an experience during a layover in Boston where a TSA agent tested his hands for explosives. 'I was kidnapped by the Israeli army in November,' he told the agent, 'before being stripped of my clothes … Today, you come and separate me from my wife and kids, just like the army did a few months ago.' Abu Toha's recognition has drawn admiration from around the world—including from acclaimed filmmaker Martin Scorsese, who personally congratulated him on his win. "Guess who made sure to join us to honor me and celebrate the Pulitzer Prize, even in the smallest way as our families in Gaza starve and continue to be in danger?" Abu Toha posted on Instagram. "Well, there is only one Martin Scorsese." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mosab Abu Toha (@mosab_abutoha)
Middle East Eye
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Middle East Eye
Social media erupts in anger after Meta suspends Palestinian Pulitzer Prize winner's account
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, briefly suspended the account of Palestinian poet and essayist Mosab Abu Toha on Monday, hours after he won a 2025 Pulitzer Prize for a collection of essays he wrote for the New Yorker on Israel's devastating military campaign in Gaza. Abu Toha was awarded the prestigious prize for shedding light on the "physical and emotional carnage in Gaza" through his essays "that combine deep reporting with the intimacy of memoir to convey the Palestinian experience of more than a year and a half of war with Israel." Abu Toha had announced the award in a post on X, dedicating it to family members killed by Israel, as well as other Palestinian victims of its 19-month war and siege of the enclave. "I'm honored to receive the Pulitzer Prize today. Great thanks to the prize's jury and board members for honoring me," he wrote. "I dedicate this success to my family, friends, teachers, and students in Gaza. Blessings to the 31 members of my family who were killed in one air strike in 2023." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters However, celebrations of Abu Toha's award were short-lived, as only 12 hours after his announcement, Meta suspended his Facebook account. "Meta is upset after I won the Pulitzer Prize yesterday. It has suspended my Facebook account for the second time in a week," he wrote on X. Meta is upset after I won the Pulitzer Prize yesterday. It has suspended my Facebook account for the second time in a week. — Mosab Abu Toha (@MosabAbuToha) May 6, 2025 Social media users expressed outrage at the decision, with investigative journalist Meghnad Bose calling it "the latest high-profile instance of Meta's disproportionate censorship of content related to Palestine." BREAKING: Meta has suspended Palestinian poet and writer Mosab Abu Toha's Facebook account a day after he won a Pulitzer Prize for his articles on Gaza. He says it is the second time in a week that his account has been suspended. Facebook notification says 'We suspended your… — Meghnad Bose (@MeghnadBose93) May 6, 2025 One user accused Meta of "censorship" and seeking to "silence the truth", whilst another wrote: "Welcome to America where you win awards for truth, then get silenced for telling it." Welcome to America where you win awards for truth, then get silenced for telling it — Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) May 6, 2025 Later, a Meta representative responded to Abu Toha's post, claiming the suspension "was an error" and that the account "has been restored and is visible". Thank you for raising this. It was an error - the account has been restored and is visible once again. — Andy Stone (@andymstone) May 6, 2025 Monday's episode isn't the first time Meta has come under fire for censoring content related to Palestinians since Israel declared war on Gaza. In December 2023, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Meta of "silencing voices in support of Palestine" and failing "to meet its human rights due diligence responsibilities." Between October and November 2023, HRW documented over 1,050 takedowns and reported "suppression of content [on] Instagram and Facebook that had been posted by Palestinians and their supporters, including about human rights abuses." Meta censorship is having a 'devastating' impact on Palestinian news sources Read More » In 2021, a Meta-commissioned report found that the company's flawed content moderation policies had stopped Palestinians from sharing "information and insights about their experiences as they occurred", which had a negative "human rights impact". Abu Toha has spent the majority of his life in Gaza and was in the besieged territory when Hamas and allied Palestinian fighters launched an assault on southern Israel in October 2023. The attack and subsequent Israeli response, which left more than 1,000 Israeli civilians and soldiers dead, was a precursor to the ongoing Israeli campaign in Gaza, which has killed more than 52,000 people. Abu Toha fled the area with his family in November 2023 but not before being abducted by Israeli forces, taken to a prison in the Negev desert, where he was beaten and interrogated, and then taken to hospital for his injuries. He was eventually released to Egypt with his family after pressure on the Israelis from friends in US media and cultural circles.
Express Tribune
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Pulitzers honour Gaza coverage, Trump assassination news
Abu Toha's essays were published in The New Yorker magazine. Photo: File Coverage of the wars in Gaza and Sudan, and the attempted assassination of US President Donald Trump, dominated the Pulitzer Prizes announced Monday at Columbia University in New York, reported AFP. Considered one of the most prestigious awards in US journalism, the Pulitzers also recognise literature, drama and music. The core issues of the 2024 US presidential campaign took centre stage at the awards, which recognised coverage of Trump and his bloodied ear after a July 13 assassination attempt, as well as the loss of abortion rights for women in the United States. The Washington Post staff won in the category of breaking news reporting for the paper's "urgent and illuminating" coverage of the gunshot that wounded Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania. The prize for public service reporting went to ProPublica's reporting on the deterioration of US women's access to abortion and reproductive health care, which profiled pregnant women who died after doctors delayed urgently needed care for fear of violating "vague" rules in "states with strict abortion laws," the committee wrote. In September, ProPublica reported on the 2022 death of 28-year-old Amber Thurman in a Georgia hospital, attributing it to a lack of care under the state's restrictive abortion laws. Her death was later discussed by presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who blamed the rollback of women's rights on the Supreme Court and its conservative majority. Reuters news agency won in the investigative journalism category for its "boldly reported expose" of lax fentanyl regulation in the United States and abroad. Images from Trump's assassination attempt made headlines worldwide, and a New York Times photographer won a breaking news photography Pulitzer for an image where the bullet could be seen flying toward Trump's head at the campaign event. In fiction, Percival Everett's James was awarded for its "accomplished reconsideration of Huckleberry Finn that gives agency to Jim to illustrate the absurdity of racial supremacy," the committee wrote. 'Let it bring hope' The Pulitzer for best international reporting was awarded to New York Times journalist Declan Walsh for coverage of the bloody conflict in Sudan, the illicit gold trade and regional negotiations at the heart of local clashes. The Pulitzer Prizes are overseen by Columbia University, which was the site of many pro-Palestinian demonstrations and subsequent crackdowns. It is currently embroiled in controversy following the arrest of foreign students who participated in demonstrations against the war in Gaza and are facing threats of deportation and expulsion from the United States. The Pulitzer committee awarded Mosab Abu Toha, a Palestinian poet from Gaza, in the "commentary" category for essays published in The New Yorker magazine. The committee praised his "essays on the physical and emotional carnage in Gaza that combine deep reporting with the intimacy of memoir to convey the Palestinian experience of more than a year and a half of war with Israel." In a post to social media, Abu Toha announced the award and posted "Let it bring hope. Let it be a tale," quoting the poem of Palestinian author Refaat Alareer, who was killed in December 2023 by an Israeli strike on Gaza. Palestinian photographers from Agence France-Presse (AFP) were finalists in the breaking news photography category for "powerful images" from Gaza, earning praise for encapsulating "the enduring humanity of the people of Gaza amid widespread destruction and loss."
New Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
'Let it bring hope. Let it be a tale': Palestinain poet Mosab Abu Toha wins Pulitzer Prize for Commentary
Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha, who has faced deportation threats from pro-Israeli groups in the US, has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. The award, that was announced on Monday, honours his four moving essays published in The New Yorker, which combine deep reporting with personal insight to convey the human cost of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza. Through his writing, Abu Toha offers a moving and powerful account of the Palestinian experience. The four essays – The Pain of Travelling While Palestinian, The Gaza We Leave Behind, Requiem for a Refugee Camp, and My Family's Daily Struggle to Find Food in Gaza – published over the past two years, address a range of themes, from the challenges of leaving Gaza to the destruction caused by the genocidal war, and the daily struggle to survive under siege. In one essay, Abu Toha describes the struggles of life in present day Gaza, where each day is consumed by the desperate search for food, clean water, and safety amid relentless bombardment. In Requiem for a Refugee Camp, he reflects on Jabalia Camp, the largest refugee camp in Palestine, which houses over 100,000 people. Taking to social media to share the news, Abu Toha tweeted, 'I have just won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.' Borrowing the words of his fellow Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer, he wrote: 'Let it bring hope. Let it be a tale.' If I Must Die, let it be a tale was written by Alareer just before he was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza in December 2023.
