Samar Abu Elouf is a Palestinian freelance photojournalist. An award-winning journalist, Abu Elouf covers events where she lives, including stories about gender, the lives of women and children, and the consequences of war. She is the tenth annual recipient of its Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award.
Since 2010, she has worked as a freelance photojournalist on assignment for Reuters, The New York Times, and other news outlets. Abu Elouf documented the 2018–2019 Gaza border protests, also known as the Great March of Return. She worked with ZUMA Press to cover stories related to the COVID-19 pandemic for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and news agencies.
In May 2021, on assignment for the New York Times, she documented the eleven days of fighting between Israel and Hamas that destroyed essential infrastructure and killed more than 230 people, including several of her own relatives. Most recently, Samar covered the 2023 Israeli bombardment of Gaza in the aftermath of Hamas 7th October attacks for the New York Times. Her images, both intimate and shocking, convey both the anguish and dignity of her subjects.
Previously based in Gaza City, Abu Elouf puts herself at the centre of danger to chronicle how conflict, loss, and need affect people in her own community. Late last year, Abu Elouf was forced to evacuate her home after it was partially destroyed. She says: “The camera has made me a strong woman, and I will continue working and taking photos until my last breath.”
