Palestinian woman wins World Press Photo award for image of mourning

The World Press Photo of the Year award for 2023 was won by Reuters photographer Mohammed Salem for his image "A Palestinian Woman Embraces the Body of her Niece." In this photograph, a Palestinian woman is seen holding her five-year-old niece as an Israeli missile strikes their home. Salem described the moment as "powerful and sad." The competition saw four winners in total: Mohammed Salem, Lee-Ann Olwage, Alejandro Cegarra, and Julia Kochetova. These photographers were chosen from a pool of 61,062 entries submitted by 3,851 photographers across 130 countries. The winners were commended for their courage, skill, and empathy in capturing poignant moments.