The winning image depicts nine-year-old Palestinian boy Mahmoud Ajjour, who lost both arms in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, photographed by Palestinian photojournalist Samar Abu Elouf in Qatar, where he received medical treatment

A solemn portrait of nine-year-old Palestinian boy Mahmoud Ajjour, who lost his both arms in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, has been named the 2025 World Press Photo of the Year.

The image, captured by Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf , working for The New York Times, highlights the devastating human toll of the ongoing conflict.

Ajjour was injured in March 2024 during an attack that severed one arm and mutilated the other.

Three months later, Abu Elouf met the boy in Doha, Qatar, where he and his family were evacuated for medical treatment.

The photographer, herself displaced from Gaza in December 2023, has since documented the experiences of wounded Palestinians receiving care abroad.

In her notes on the photo, Abu Elouf recounted a poignant conversation with Ajjour’s mother: “One of the most difficult things Mahmoud’s mother explained to me was how, when Mahmoud first came to the realisation that his arms were amputated, the first sentence he said to her was, ‘How will I be able to hug you?’”

Joumana El Zein Khoury, Executive Director of World Press Photo, described the image as “a quiet photo that speaks loudly. It tells the story of one boy, but also of a wider war that will have an impact for generations”.

The jury praised the composition’s interplay of “light and dark, beauty and pain,” emphasising its reflection of themes like conflict, resilience, and community.

The war in Gaza has killed over 61,000 Palestinians and injured 116,432 others, according to Gaza Government Media Office.

By December 2024, the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) estimated Gaza had more child amputees per capita than any other modern conflict zone.

Ajjour, now adapting to life without arms, uses his feet for tasks like writing and opening doors but remains dependent on assistance for daily activities.

His story, as Abu Elouf noted, underscores a broader crisis: “Mahmoud’s dream is simple: he wants to get prosthetics and live his life as any other child.”

Additional winners

The competition received 59,320 entries from 3,778 photographers across 140 countries.

Two runner-up photos were recognised: Musuk Nolte’s “Droughts in the Amazon,” depicting climate impacts in Peru, and John Moore’s “Night Crossing,” showing Chinese migrants at the US-Mexico border.

Other regional winners included Luis Tato’s documentation of Kenya’s youth protests and Clarens Siffroy’s coverage of Haiti’s gang crisis.