Pulitzer Prize-winning Syracuse scholar Abu Toha calls Israelis ‘child killers’ at Detroit panel

Syracuse University is under scrutiny after its visiting scholar, Pulitzer Prize winner Mosab Abu Toha, described Israelis as “thieves,” “child killers,” and “sexual abusers” during a Detroit panel on Aug. 31.

Abu Toha, who won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for commentary, made the remarks at the People’s Conference for Palestine during a live-streamed panel titled “Gaza Resists, Gaza Remains.”

“Now they are not only thieves, but they are child killers, they are sexual abusers,” Abu Toha said. “I mean, what else should the Palestinian people do to show the world that these people are thugs [and] these people are criminals? They should be held accountable.”

He also claimed, “No matter how long a thief keeps your property, it will remain your property.”

[RELATED: Seven major campus reforms in fight against antisemitism]

The statements follow a series of controversial social media posts. 

In January, Abu Toha questioned whether Israeli hostage Emily Damari should be considered a hostage at all, writing, “This girl is called a ‘hostage?’ … This soldier who was close to the border with a city that she and her country have been occupying is called a ‘hostage?’” On Instagram, he has also referred to Israel as “a bunch of child killers.”

Abu Toha graduated from Syracuse in 2023 before joining the university as a visiting scholar. His Pulitzer-winning essays for The New Yorker included multiple pro-Palestinian commentaries such as “The Agony of Waiting for a Ceasefire That Never Comes” and “My Family’s Daily Struggle to Find Food in Gaza.”

Advocacy groups including Combat Anti-Semitism have urged the Pulitzer committee to revoke his award, citing his dismissal of Israeli hostages.

Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, has faced criticism for its treatment of Jewish students. The Anti-Defamation League gave the school a C grade in its 2025 Campus Antisemitism Report Card, citing anti-Semitic graffiti and a “Statement of Solidarity” from Syracuse Faculty for Justice in Palestine.

[RELATED: George Mason SJP resurfaces with pro-Hamas recruitment video after suspension]

The campus has also hosted large-scale anti-Israel demonstrations, including a 2023 “Shut It Down for Palestine” rally with more than 200 attendees and a pro-Palestinian encampment that lasted from April to mid-May 2024.

In July, the ADL documented more than 2,300 anti-Semitic incidents nationwide during the 2024–25 academic year. 

Campus Reform has reached out to Syracuse University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.