« World Press Photo »: The cruel insight into the Gaza War
The « World Press Photo » in 2025 shows a Palestinian boy mutilated in the Gaza war. The jury of the renowned competition selected the image of photographer Samar Abu Elouf. It was created for the « New York Times ».
Around 60,000 recordings of almost 4,000 photographers from all over the world took part in the competition, as the jury in Amsterdam announced. The main topics were conflicts, migration and climate change.
The Palestinian Elouf photographed the nine -year -old Mahmoud Ajjour, who was injured so badly in March 2024 from an Israeli attack that both arms had to be amputated. The boy is standing in partial shade at a window, the warm light falls on his face and emphasizes his melancholic facial expression. Mahmoud lives in Qatar today.
This photo published by World Press Photo shows Mahmoud Ajjour (9), who was hit by a rocket of an Israeli fighter plane during the Gaza War and lost both arms. Mahmoud is one of the heavily wounded people from the Gaza Strip who made it to Qatar for medical treatment. The picture was taken by the Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times and recognized as World Press Photo 2025. Photo: Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Tim
« It’s a quiet photo with a loud message, » said the general director of the competition World Press photoJoumana El Zein Khoury. « It tells the story of a boy, but also that of a major war that will have an impact on generations. »
The photographer had had to leave Gaza in December 2023 and now lives in Doha in Qatar – in the same residential complex as Mahmoud. It documented the serious injuries of people from the Gaza Strip.
Mahmoud is now learning to write with his feet, open to gamen and doors, the jury said. He has a dream: « He wants prostheses and wants to live like any other child. »
One of the three recordings in the final include a photo by US photo photo John Moore. It shows Chinese migrants who warm up on a fire at the Border of the United States to Mexico.
Chinese migrants warm up in the cold rain after crossing the border between the USA and Mexico. The picture was taken by the American photographer John Moore for Getty Images. Moore is one of the other two finalists of the World Press Photo 2025. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images/dpa
A work by Musuk Nolte (Peru/Mexico) on the topic of drought in the Amazon region was also awarded. A young man stands in front of a dried river with bags full of food. His village Manacapuru in Brazil can no longer be reached by boat.
Cordeiro Freitas brings to his mother, who lives in the village of Manacapuru (Brazil). The village was previously accessible by boat, but because of the drought, Freitas has to run two kilometers along a dry river bed in the Amazon. The picture was taken by the Mexican photographer Musuk Nolte. Nolte is one of the other two finalists of the World Press Photo 2025. Photo: Musuk Nolte/Panos Pictures/Berth
The jury honored a total of 42 photographers in different categories. The winning photos can be seen in exhibitions in more than 60 cities.
