2025 in Photos: A Year of Global Turmoil From Gaza to Ukraine

This was the year the world's fault lines cracked open. From the devastating conflict in Israel and Gaza and the prolonged Russia-Ukraine war to severe weather events across the globe, 2025 was defined by turmoil and humanitarian crises. Deepening political instability, social unrest, and growing humanitarian needs dominated international headlines, painting a picture of a world under immense strain.

Epicenters of Conflict

Conflicts old and new escalated throughout the year. In Gaza, the human cost of the war was starkly visible. A family was photographed preparing a meal on the ruins of their demolished home on March 17 (AP), while an image of a malnourished 2-year-old on July 23 highlighted a deepening humanitarian catastrophe (AP). The year became the deadliest on record for journalists, with more than 300 media workers killed in Gaza alone since the war began in October 2023.

In Ukraine, rescuers pulled a victim from the rubble of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile in Poltava on February 1 (Reuters). Elsewhere, violence in Sudan, marked by attacks from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), created waves of displaced people (Reuters, April 15), and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, civilians fled advances by M-23 rebels (AP, January 22).

Geopolitical Tensions and Social Fissures

Great power politics were on full display. On February 28, US President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House (Reuters). In a show of anti-Western solidarity, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met in Beijing on September 3 (Reuters). Tensions flared in the Middle East as the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, and Israel later conducted missile strikes on Doha, Qatar, on September 9 (Reuters).

Internal social fissures also widened. In December, the release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein brought renewed scrutiny to his connections with powerful figures like Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton. Protests erupted globally over domestic grievances: in Greece, over the nation's deadliest rail disaster; in Nepal, against corruption and a social media ban; and in Madagascar, over chronic water and electricity shortages.

A Planet in Peril

The impacts of a changing climate were felt acutely worldwide. A major fire engulfed homes in California on January 8 (AFP), while a flash flood devastated a village in Indonesia on December 1 (AP). In Bangladesh, a man stood on an island where his home once was, lost to river erosion (Reuters, October 29). An image of a polar bear lounging on the steps of an abandoned Arctic research station in Russia on September 18 (AP) provided a quiet but powerful symbol of the planet's ecological shifts.