Hague, Netherlands – A portrait of a young Palestinian who lost both weapons as a result of an Israeli attack in Loop He was honored Thursday as PHOTO OF THE WORLD PRESS of the year.
The photo, taken by the Palestinian photographer based in Qatar, Samar Abu Elouff, for the New York Times, shows Mahmoud Ajjour, 9, with missing arms just below each shoulder.
“One of Mahmoud’s most difficult things explained to me was how when Mahmoud realized that his arms were amputated, the first prayer he said was:” How can I hug you? “” ABU Eluff said in a statement issued by the organization of photographs of the world press.
The winner of the 68th edition of the prestigious photojournalism contest was selected from 59,320 inputs presented by 3,778 photographers from 141 countries.
“This is a quiet photo that speaks out loud. It tells the story of a child, but also of a broader war that will have an impact for generations,” said World Photo director, Joumana El Zein Khoury.
In a statement, the organization said that Ajjour was injured while fleeing an Israeli attack in March 2024.
“After he turned back to urge his family forward, an explosion cut one of his arms and mutilated the other,” according to the photo of World Press.
“The life of this young man deserves to be understood, and this image does what a great photojournalism can do: to provide an entry point in layers in a complex story and the incentive to prolong the encounter of one with that story,” said the president of the jury Lucy Conticello, who is director of photography of the French periodic Le Monde’s Weekend Magazine.
The winning photographer Abu Eluff was evacuated from Gaza in December 2023 and now lives in the same apartment complex as Ajjour in the capital of Qatar, Doha.
Israel launched its devastating attack against Gaza after Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, in which thousands of militants broke into southern Israel from Gaza, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians and kidnapping 251.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza says that more than 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive. It does not differ between civilians and militants, but says that more than half of the dead were women and children, including at least 876 babies under 1. says that more than 116,000 people have been injured.
Israel blames Hamas for the heavy civil toll because the group carries out attacks and other military activities of residential areas and civil buildings.
The organizers of the competition also appointed two foto finalists from the world press that highlighted the problems of migration and climate change.
A dark photo of John Moore for Getty Images shows Chinese migrants to heat up after crossing the border between the United States and Mexico, and an image of Musuk Nolte for Panos Pictures, Bertha Foundation, of a young man who transported food through a dry river bed in the region of the Amazonas Basin of Brazil.
In the regional results previously announced by World Press Photo Foundation, Associated Press was among the winners in the Asia-Pacific and Oceania region. The photographer Jae C. Hong won in the singles category with an image entitled Korea Adoption Fraud and Noel Celis won in the category of photos of photos of the Philippines entitled Four Storms, 12 days.
