The Israeli journalist and author Amir Tibon has been announced as the winner of this year’s Wingate Prize for his book The Gates of Gaza.
The book tells the true story of how Tibon, his wife and their two young children were rescued by Tibon’s father when the kibbutz where they lived was attacked on October 7 2023.
Now in its 49th year, the £4,000 prize is awarded to the book, fiction or non-fiction, deemed to best “translate the idea of Jewishness to the general reader”. It is the only UK literary prize of its kind and attracts nominations from all over the globe. Previous winners include Amos Oz, Zadie Smith and David Grossman.
Judges voted unanimously for Tibon, praising the author’s “humanity” and his "knowledge of history".
The Gates of Gaza documents how terrorists attacked Kibbutz Nahal Oz in southern Israel, near the Gaza strip, on October 7 and how, upon receiving a text from Tibon sent from his safe room, the author’s parents raced toward the kibbutz from Tel Aviv armed only with a pistol intent on saving their family.
The book also delves into Israel’s reported failings in the lead-up to the attack.
Tibon is an award-winning diplomatic correspondent for Israeli newspaper Haaretz and has previously served as the paper’s correspondent in Washington and as a senior editor for its English edition.
He is also the co-author of The Last Palestinian: The Rise and Reign of Mahmoud Abbas, published in 2017, which was the first biography of the leader of the Palestinian Authority.
Tibon's family is still yet to return home to Kibbutz Nahal Oz and are living in temporary housing in north-central Israel.
He said of winning the literary award: "It is a great honour to receive the Wingate Prize and to join the long and distinguished list of writers who have won this important literary award.
"The mission of the Wingate Prize has never been more vital, as we confront rising antisemitism around the world, and I am proud that the judging panel chose The Gates of Gaza at this crucial moment.”
The judging panel – which included critic and writer Erica Wagner, filmmaker Xiaolu Guo and author Kate Weinberg – said: "We were thrilled with our shortlist this year, but in the end one book was our unanimous choice.
"Amir Tibon's The Gates of Gaza is a remarkable accomplishment. To write about the devastating events in Israel and Palestine with such humanity, such knowledge of history and such balance would be extraordinary under any circumstances; given the author's situation – he was himself caught up in the attack of October 7 – it is even more stunning.
"Tibon's style is lucid and compelling, and one could not hope for a better guide to these challenging and painful times."
Tibon will appear with the Wingate judges at an event at Kings Place as part of Jewish Book Week March 8.
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