The image, captured by Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf for the New York Timesis a portrait of the young Mahmoud Ajjour, evacuated to Doha after an explosion snatched one arm and mutilated the other last year.
“One of the most difficult things that Mahmoud’s mother explained to me is that when Mahmoud realized that his arms were amputated, the first sentence he said was:” How will I be able to hug you, “said Ms. Elouf.
Originally from Gaza, the photographer was also evacuated in December 2023. She now draws the portrait of Palestinians seriously injured by the war, installed in Doha.
“It is a silent photo, which however speaks very loudly. She tells the story of a boy, but also of an even wider war that will impact future generations. ”
-Joumana El Zein Khoury, executive director of World Press Photo
The jury praised the “strong composition and the attention paid to the light” of the photo, as well as its subject which gives to think, in particular the questions concerning the future of Mahmoud.
The boy now learns to play on his phone, writing and opening doors with his feet, said the jury.
“Mahmoud has a very simple dream: he wants to get prostheses and live his life like any other child” declared the organizers of the World Press Photo in a press release.
The jury also unveiled the two finalist photos.
The first, entitled Droughts in Amazoniataken by Musuk Nolte for Panos Pictures and the Bertha Foundation, shows a man on the bed of a dry river in the Amazon, transporting provisions to a village formerly accessible by boat.
The second, Night crossing From John Moore for Getty Images, shows Chinese migrants huddling near a fire during a cold downpour after crossing the border between the United States and Mexico.
The jury scrutinized 59,320 photographs taken by 3,778 photojournalists to select the 42 award -winning shots worldwide.
Photographers of the France-Presse agency have been selected four times for a regional prize.
Luis Tato, based in Nairobi, won the prize in the category Stories For the Africa region, thanks to a selection of photos illustrating the uprising of Kenyan youth.
Jérôme Brouillet won in the category Singles For the Asia-Pacific and Oceania region for his emblematic photo of the Gabriel Medina surfer seeming to levitate over the waves during the Olympic Games.
Clarens Siffroy won in the category Stories North America and Central for its coverage of the gang crisis in Haiti.
Finally, Anselmo Cunha has won in category Singles For South America for its photo of a Boeing 727-200 blocked at Salgado Filho International Airport in Brazil.
