In a powerful recognition of truth-telling through imagery, Palestinian photojournalist Samar Abu Elouf has won the 2025 World Press Photo of the Year award. Her haunting portrait of nine-year-old Mahmoud Ajour—who lost both arms in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza—was described by the jury as "a cry from the silence," a photograph that bears witness to the unspeakable toll of war on children.

Selected from over 60,000 submissions by photographers across the globe, the image stood out for its raw humanity and emotional depth. Abu Elouf, who has documented the suffering in Gaza since October 2023, took the winning photo while working with The New York Times. She is the first Palestinian to receive this prestigious award—an honour that underscores the role of Palestinian voices in shaping the global narrative.

Now living in exile in Doha after being forced to flee Gaza, Abu Elouf continues to photograph severely wounded Palestinians, including Mahmoud, who shares her current shelter. Though unable to eat or dress alone, the boy is learning to navigate life using his feet, holding onto the modest hope of receiving prosthetic limbs and simply being a child again.

"This is not just an award," said Abu Elouf at the ceremony in Amsterdam. "It is a message that the suffering of Palestinian children is seen—and must not be forgotten."

Her joy was tempered by sorrow, as she held a photo of her colleague Ehab Al-Bardini, critically wounded in an Israeli strike on a journalist tent in Khan Younis. “My heart is still in Gaza,” she said, reminding the world that behind every image lies an ongoing reality of pain, resilience, and survival.

In the words of the jury, Mahmoud’s portrait is more than a photograph—it is a silent scream, echoing the anguish of a generation that has grown up beneath bombs, under blockade, and too often, without limbs. Through Abu Elouf’s lens, Gaza’s children have finally been seen.