A haunting photo of a grieving Palestinian woman cradling the body of her little niece killed in an Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip won the 2024 World Press Photo Award on Thursday.
In a photo taken by Reuters' Mohammed Salem, Inas Abu Mamar cradles the body of 5-year-old Sally, who was killed along with her mother and sister when a missile hit their home in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, in October. is shown in the photo.
On October 17, Salem was at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis when she saw Abu Mamar, 36, sobbing and clutching her niece's wrapped body in the morgue. saw.
The photo was taken 10 days after the start of the current conflict, following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in southern Israel.
“It was a powerful and sad moment, and I felt that this photo summed up the broader meaning of what was happening in the Gaza Strip,” World Press Photo quoted Salem as saying.
Jury chair Fiona Shields said: “This is truly deeply affecting footage.”
“Once you see it, it sticks in your mind,” she says. “It serves as a literal and metaphorical message that conveys the horror and futility of conflict.”
“This is an incredibly powerful argument for peace,” Shields added.
South Africa's Leanne Oluwaji, photographed with GEO, won the Story of the Year award for her intimate portrayal of a Malagasy family caring for an elderly relative suffering from dementia.
“This story tackles a universal health issue through the lens of family and care,” the judges said.
“The selected images are composed of warmth and tenderness, reminding viewers of the love and intimacy necessary in times of war and invasion around the world,” they added.
Venezuelan Alejandro Segarra won the Long Term Project Award for his vivid black and white photographs of migrants and asylum seekers attempting to cross Mexico's southern border.
In the New York Times/Bloomberg shoot, Segarra's own experience as an immigrant “provided her with a nuanced, human-centered perspective that focuses on immigrant agency and resilience.”
In Open Format, Julia Kochetova from Ukraine will “combine the personal documentary style of photojournalism and diary to show the world what it's like to live with war as an everyday reality.” The site won.
The 2024 winning photos were selected from 61,062 entries by 3,851 photographers from 130 countries.
The photographs are on display at the Nieuwe Kerk, a 15th-century church in central Amsterdam, until July 14th.
