Award-winning photo puts face to Gaza’s war tragedy: A Palestinian boy with no arms

A heartbreaking powerful portrait of a 9-year-old Palestinian boy who lost both arms during an Israeli attack in Gaza has been awarded the 2025 World Press Photo of the Year, organisers announced on Thursday (April 17).

The photo, taken by Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times, captures young Mahmoud Ajjour with his arms amputated just below each shoulder. The image was selected from over 59,000 entries submitted by nearly 3,800 photographers across 141 countries, according to CBS News.

"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 organization.

A mother's heartbreak

Abu Elouf said the moment Mahmoud understood his injuries was deeply emotional.

"One of the most difficult things Mahmoud's mother explained to me was how when Mahmoud first came to the realization that his arms were amputated, the first sentence he said to her was, 'How will I be able to hug you?'" Abu Elouf said in a statement released by World Press Photo.

Context of conflict and pain

The World Press Photo organisation said Mahmoud was injured in March 2024 while fleeing an Israeli airstrike. According to the contest’s citation, he had turned back to urge his family to keep running when an explosion severed one of his arms and severely damaged the other.

The image comes amid the ongoing war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’ October 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel, in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251, according to Israeli authorities.

Heavy toll in Gaza

The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza reports that over 51,000 Palestinians have died in the Israeli offensive, which began in response to the October 7 attack. The ministry says more than half the casualties are women and children. More than 116,000 people have reportedly been wounded.

Israel maintains that Hamas bears responsibility for the civilian toll, accusing the group of operating from within populated civilian areas and buildings.