Overview

• Samar Abu Elouf's photograph of Mahmoud Ajjour, a child maimed during a 2024 Israeli attack on Gaza, has been named the World Press Photo of the Year 2025.
• The image, praised as a 'silent photo with a loud message' by the foundation's executive director, underscores the devastating impact of war on children.
• Ajjour, now living in Qatar, lost both arms in the attack and dreams of receiving prosthetics to live like other children.
• The competition, one of the most prestigious in photojournalism, received nearly 60,000 submissions from photographers across 141 countries.
• Controversy surrounds the selection of regional winner Mikhail Tereshchenko of Russia's TASS agency, with concerns over potential propaganda ties.