When the Israel-Gaza conflict forced photojournalist Samar Abu Elouf to flee, she felt that her role covering the war as a photojournalist was over. Yet, working from Doha, Qatar, thousands of kilometers away, the photographer has taken what is quickly becoming one of the most iconic images of the war. Her image of a nine-year-old boy, who lost both of his arms in an airstrike, has been recognized as the 2025 World Press Photo of the Year. The judges announced the award on April 17.
In Elouf’s image of Mahmoud Ajjour, sunlight highlights the melancholy look on the boy’s face, encouraging the viewer to look deeper, into the shadows where the boy’s tank top reveals his missing arms. The child was injured in an air strike in March of 2024 when he turned back to urge his fleeing family forward.
