Portrait of child amputee from Gaza wins 2025 Photo of the Year

A powerful portrait capturing the unimaginable toll of war on a young Palestinian boy has been awarded the 2025 World Press Photo of the Year.

The image, taken by photojournalist Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times, shows nine-year-old Mahmoud Ajjour, whose arms were amputated after an Israeli Occupation airstrike on Gaza City in March of last year.

Mahmoud Ajjour photographed by Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times

The photo, described by the award jury as both “quiet” and “loud,” was honored on Thursday for its emotional depth, technical excellence, and the painful questions it raises about the future of children in conflict zones.

“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?’” said Abu Elouf.

This marks the second year in a row that a Palestinian photographer has received the prestigious honor. In 2024, photojournalist Mohammed Salem won Photo of the Year for an image that shook the world: a grieving woman holding the lifeless body of her niece who was killed in an Israeli Occupation airstrike in Khan Younis.

2024 Photo of the Year by Mohammed Salem

Now living in Doha, Qatar, after being medically evacuated from Gaza, Mahmoud is slowly adjusting to life with disability. According to the jury, he is learning to use his feet to play on his phone, write, and even open doors, but still requires assistance for basic tasks like eating and getting dressed.

Abu Elouf, who is also from Gaza, was herself evacuated in late 2023. She continues to document the lives of wounded Palestinians now living in Doha.

“This is 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,” said Joumana El Zein Khoury, executive director of the World Press Photo Foundation.

The jury commended the image for its “strong composition and attention to light,” as well as for its power to provoke deep reflection. They noted how the photo represents not only Mahmoud’s personal loss but also the broader devastation in Gaza, highlighting the ongoing dehumanization of its people, the targeting of journalists, and the obstacles international media face in covering the genocide.

“Mahmoud’s dream is simple: he wants to get prosthetics and live his life as any other child,” the organisers said in a statement.

The photo comes amid staggering humanitarian costs in Gaza. According to recent estimates, more than 51,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 116,000 injured since the war began. Much of the strip has been reduced to ruins.

The statement also cited data from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which reported that by the end of 2023, Gaza had the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world.

“Children are disproportionately impacted by the war,” the jury emphasized.