World Photography Day is observed on August 19 each year to celebrate photographers who capture the defining moments of our time. From tragedy and joy to reunions and farewells, and from major political events to everyday life, their images preserve fleeting moments and turn them into lasting memories.
This World Photography Day, we look at two unforgettable photographs from 2025. Powerful and deeply moving, the stories behind these images are sure to leave a lasting impact.
The first photograph is titled 'Separated by ICE'. It was captured by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Carol Guzy. The image went on to win the 2026 World Press Photo of the Year award.
In a narrow corridor inside a government building in New York, access was granted to only a handful of cameras. Renowned photojournalist Carol Guzy stood watch there day after day, determined to bring to light a grim reality that is often buried in official files. Then, on August 26, 2025, her camera captured a scene that left viewers heartbroken: an entire family being mercilessly torn apart in the name of a government order.
(Photo Credit: instagram.com/socialdocumentarynet/)
The photograph was taken following an immigration court hearing at New York's Jacob K Javits Federal Building, where hundreds of people arrive each day hoping to secure refuge in the United States. Since May last year, however, the building has become associated less with hope and more with fear. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents routinely patrol the premises, detaining individuals as they leave court hearings, casting a shadow over those seeking safety and a future in America.
The same courtroom was where a humble family from Ecuador had come. The head of the household, Luis, his wife Cocha, and their three young children - two daughters aged 13 and 15, and a son just 7 years old.The moment the hearing ended and agents placed handcuffs on Luis, the corridor outside the courtroom echoed with screams and sobs. The children clung to their father, crying hysterically. Yet the officers of the law remained unmoved.
Aid Emergency in Gaza
Aid Emergency in Gaza, photographed by photojournalist Saber Nuraldeen, captures the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe that gripped Gaza in 2025. The image symbolises the desperation of families struggling to find food amid widespread hunger and shortages. For many Palestinians, even searching for basic essentials became a deadly risk.
After Gaza's borders were largely sealed in March 2025, humanitarian aid deliveries fell sharply, prompting warnings from aid agencies of worsening famine-like conditions. Human rights groups accused Israeli authorities of using starvation as a weapon of war, an allegation Israel rejected. Under international pressure, some crossings reopened in May, but aid distribution shifted to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a move that drew criticism from humanitarian organisations and legal experts.
(Photo Credit: instagram.com/abir_abdullah_photo/)
According to aid agencies and rights groups, more than 2,435 Palestinians were reportedly killed while attempting to access food between May and October. Despite a ceasefire in October, hunger remained widespread, with over 75% of Gaza's population still facing malnutrition by December.
