Palestinian photojournalist Samar Abu Elouf has won the 2025 World Press Photo award for her image of Mahmoud Ajjour, a 9-year-old Gazan boy whose arms were mutilated by an Israeli airstrike. The photo, taken for the New York Times, was honored at a ceremony in Amsterdam. Abu Elouf, herself from Gaza and now living in Qatar, captured the boy in a shaft of sunlight that gives the image the quality of a classical bust. The award, now in its 70th year, drew nearly 60,000 entries from 4,000 photographers across 141 countries.
The win matters because it underscores World Press Photo director Joumana El Zein Khoury's deliberate shift toward elevating local photojournalists over Western outsiders who briefly enter conflict zones. After dividing the world into six regions for entry, 80 percent of finalists were local to their stories. Abu Elouf's image also personalizes the broader devastation of the Gaza war, with Khoury noting it tells 'the story of one boy, but also of a wider war that will have an impact for generations.' The award highlights ongoing debates about representation, conflict photography, and the ethics of documenting trauma.