The victory picture shows 9-year-old Mahmoud Ajur whose arm was amputated in Israel’s attack in Gaza last year.
The stern portrait of a 9-year-old Palestinian boy whose arm was amputated and his arm was amputated during an Israeli attack on Gaza city won the 2025 World Press Photo of the Year Award.
Given Thursday’s acclaim, the photo was taken by Summer Abu Elves for the New York Times newspaper and depicts Mahmoud Ajur.
“One of the hardest things Mahmoud’s mother explained to me was when Mahmoud was first recognized that his arm had been amputated, the first sentence he said to her was, “How can I hold you close?” Abu Elf said.
Following the Israeli explosion last March, Ajujul took shelter in Doha, Qatar. There were ongoing war attacks that killed at least 51,025 Palestinians, injured around 116,432 others, and reduced the majority of the tile rave to tile raves.
The photographer is from Gaza and was evacuated in December 2023. She currently takes photos of a deeply wounded Palestinian based in Doha.
“This is a quiet, loud picture that speaks, tells the story of a boy, but also talks about the wider war that affects generations,” said Jumana Elzeinouly, executive director of World Press Photography.
Ju praised the photographs’ “strong composition and attention to light” and its thought-provoking subject, particularly the questions raised about Mahmoud’s future.
He also praised the way the photograph portrays “a continuing denial of access to international reporters seeking to expose the reality of this war on the dehumanization of the region and the relentless targeting of journalists in Gaza.”
The boy is currently learning to play games on his phone and open the door with his feet, but he needs special support for most daily activities such as eating and dressing, the ju-describer said.
“Mahmoud’s dream is simple. He wants to get a prosthetic and live life as another child,” the world reporter’s photo organizer said in a statement.
The statement cited recent estimates from the United Nations Works and Relief Agency (UNWRA) that by December last year, Gaza had more amputees for each child than anywhere else in the world.
“Children are disproportionately affected by the war,” the ju-degree said.
Runner-up award
The ju umpire also selected two photos for the runner-up award.
The first one, entitled “Amazon Drought” by Musk Norte, shows that for the Panos photo and the Bertha Foundation, a man on the Amazon dry riverbed transporting supplies to the village once it is accessible by boat.
The second filmed by John Moore of Getty Images, “Night Crossing,” depicts Chinese immigrants huddled near a fire during cold rain after crossing the US-Mexican border.
The judges sifted 59,320 photos from 3,778 photojournalists and selected 42 award-winning shots from around the world.
Nairobi-based Luis Tato won the African Regional “Story” category for his selection of photographs depicting the Kenyan youth uprising.
Jerome Brouillet won the “single” category Asia Pacific and Oceania with his iconic photo of surfer Gabriel Medina appearing to float above the waves.
Clarence Sifroy won the “Story” category North and Central America for reporting on the Haiti gang crisis.
Finally, Anselmo Cunha won the South American “single” category for photos of a Boeing 727-200 stuck at Salgado Filho International Airport in Brazil.
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