The world press photo 2024 shows the suffering in the Middle East war: A woman holds her dead niece in her arms, who was wrapped in a white sheet. The photographer sees this as a moment that summarizes what is happening in the Gaza Strip.
The photo of a Palestinian woman with a dead child in her arms in the Gaza Strip is the world press photo 2024. The jury of the renowned World Press Photo competition awarded the photographer Mohammed Salem with first prize.
The Palestinian Salem took the photo for the Reuters news agency on October 17, 2023. “It was a powerful and sad moment that sums up what is happening in the Gaza Strip,” he said. The jury spoke of a moving “glimpse into immeasurable suffering.”
“It is indescribable moving”
36-year-old Ina Abu Maamar, wearing a blue dress and an ocher headscarf, bends over the body of her niece Saly (5), wrapped in a white sheet. She was killed along with her mother and sister when an Israeli rocket hit their home in Khan Yunis.
The jury chairwoman Fiona Shields praised the great significance of the photo. “It is indescribably moving to see and at the same time an argument for peace that is extremely strong, especially when peace sometimes seems like an impossible fantasy.”
Other photographers honored
Photo Story of the Year is a report by South African Lee-Ann Olwage for Geo magazine about how people with dementia are treated in Madagascar. The jury appreciated the warmth and tenderness in the images.
Venezuelan photographer Alejandro Cegara was honored in the long-term projects category for a series about immigration in Mexico.
Ukrainian photographer Julia Kochetova won first prize for her project “War is Personal.” According to the jury, she shows how war affects people personally every day.
High risk for journalists
World Press Photo director Joumana El Zein Khoury noted the personal connection the photographers have with their subjects. “This helps them give us a deeper understanding that will hopefully lead to empathy and compassion.” She also recalled that many photojournalists have to work at great personal risk and that many journalists were killed in the war in the Middle East last year.
A total of 33 photographers were honored. More than 3,800 took part in the competition with more than 61,000 photos. All winning photos will be featured in an exhibition that can be seen in more than 60 countries worldwide.