This year’s World Press Photo of the Year has been awarded to a striking image by Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf, showing a nine-year-old Palestinian boy who was seriously injured while fleeing an Israeli rocket attack.

The Amsterdam-based World Press Photo organisation, which held its first competition in 1955, selected 42 winning images from more than 59,320 entries in this year’s event.

In total, works were submitted by 3,378 photographers from 141 countries.

“He’s facing a window and a warm light shines on him, casting a soft shadow on one side of his face,” said jury chairwoman Lucy Conticello. “His young age and beautiful features are really in contrast with his melancholy expression. You then realise with a shock that he is missing his arms.”

“This young boy’s life deserves to be understood, and this picture does what great photojournalism can do: provide a layered entry point into a complex story, and the incentive to prolong one’s encounter with that story,” Conticello said.

The boy, Mahmoud Ajjour, and his family were evacuated to Qatar where, after medical treatment, Mahmoud is learning to use his feet to play games on his phone, write, and open doors.

An exhibition featuring all the winning and runner-up photographs opens at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam on Friday and runs until 21 September.