Pakistani Architect Yasmeen Lari Rejects Israeli Award Over Gaza Genocide

In a decisive and rare public stance, renowned Pakistani architect Yasmeen Lari has rejected the Wolf Prize 2025 in Architecture, condemning Israel’s relentless military campaign in Gaza. 

The Wolf Prize—awarded annually by the Wolf Foundation in Israel to honor achievements in fields ranging from physics to the arts—is accompanied by a $100,000 honorarium and is meant to foster “friendly relations among people.” 

 Wolf Prize Medal

Established in 1978, the Wolf Prize is renowned for recognizing breakthrough contributions across disciplines such as physics, medicine, agriculture, chemistry, and the arts—rotating annually among architecture, music, painting, and sculpture. 

Yet Lari, whose illustrious career spans decades of innovative and humanitarian architecture, found it impossible to accept an accolade from a nation actively perpetrating mass atrocities. 

“I declined the award because of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, a reason I explicitly stated in my response to them,” Lari told the reporters. “Given the current situation in Gaza, accepting the award was out of the question.”

Her decision comes as Gaza faces a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Since Israel’s military campaign began after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, over 48,000 Palestinians—mostly women and children—have been killed. The total death toll, including those presumed dead, ranges between 48,515 and 61,709, with more than 111,941 injured. 

At least 17,881 children are among the dead. Over 2 million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced as Israel continues to bombard hospitals, schools, and entire residential neighborhoods. 

The situation has deteriorated further due to Israel’s blockade, which has cut off food and electricity, leaving countless civilians starving. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders for war crimes, while human rights organizations have labeled the attacks genocide. 

Lari, who has dedicated her career to uplifting marginalized communities through sustainable and socially responsible architecture, has long championed ethical responsibility in her work. 

“I declined the award because of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, a reason I explicitly stated in my response to them,” Lari told the reporters. “Given the current situation in Gaza, accepting the award was out of the question.” 

Her decision comes as Gaza faces a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Since Israel’s military campaign began after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, over 48,000 Palestinians—mostly women and children—have been killed. The total death toll, including those presumed dead, ranges between 48,515 and 61,709, with more than 111,941 injured. 

At least 17,881 children are among the dead. Over 2 million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced as Israel continues to bombard hospitals, schools, and entire residential neighborhoods. 

The situation has deteriorated further due to Israel’s blockade, which has cut off food and electricity, leaving countless civilians starving. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders for war crimes, while human rights organizations have labeled the attacks genocide. 

Lari, who has dedicated her career to uplifting marginalized communities through sustainable and socially responsible architecture, has long championed ethical responsibility in her work. 

Lari has dedicated decades of her career to designing flood-proof buildings in Pakistan

Her initiatives, including the construction of over 50,000 self-built shelters and 80,000 energy-efficient cooking stoves, have transformed countless lives in Pakistan. 

Rejecting the Wolf Prize was not just a personal decision but a condemnation of Israel’s hypocrisy. The prize, which includes $100,000 (approximately 28 million Pakistani rupees), was never an option for Lari given the bloodshed in Gaza. 

“The least I could do was to decline the award,” Lari emphasized. “I made it clear that I cannot accept this while Gaza is under attack.”

The Wolf Foundation, which claims to operate independently, has not issued a public response to her decision. 

By turning down the Wolf Prize, Yasmeen Lari has set an example for the global community: in the face of genocide, silence is complicity, and even the most prestigious honors must be weighed against the cost of human suffering.