"Mom, how am I going to hug you now?" — Photo of Palestinian child shakes the world

Gaza/New York: The heartbreaking photo of Mahmoud Ajour, a 9-year-old Palestinian boy who lost both his arms in Israeli bombing, has been awarded the World Press Photo of the Year 2025.

This photo was taken for The New York Times by Gaza photojournalist Samar Abu Al-Auf, who is also Palestinian.

The photo shows Mahmud in a severely injured condition. According to the photographer, Mahmud's mother said that after losing his arm, he cried and said: "Mom, how will I hug you now?"

After the March 2024 attack, Mahmoud was transferred to Doha, the capital of Qatar, for treatment, where he is now learning new ways to write, play, and live with his feet, although he still requires assistance with many daily tasks.

The World Press Photo Awards organizers said the image was not just a child's story, but a representation of the ongoing war in Gaza and its innocent victims. Executive director Jumana al-Zain Khoury called the image a "silent but profound cry."

The award jury praised the image's lighting, emotion, and technical skill, and also highlighted how journalists are being targeted in Gaza and global media access is being restricted.

A statement from World Press Photo said that Mahmoud's dream is simple: he wants a prosthetic arm and to live like a normal child.

According to the United Nations agency UNRWA, as of December 2024, the largest number of child organ transplants in the world were in Gaza.

Last year, a photo from Gaza was awarded the World Press Photo of the Year award, showing a woman holding the body of her 5-year-old niece.