Samar Abu Elouf is a Palestinian freelance photojournalist. Her images, both intimate and shocking, convey the anguish and dignity of her subjects and have been featured in assignments for Reuters, The New York Times and other news outlets since 2010. 

She documented the Gaza border protests, also known as the Great March of Return, from 2018 to 2019, then 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, Samar covered the 11 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, she covered the 2023 Israeli bombardment of Gaza following October 7  for the outlet. 

Samar was the 10th annual recipient of the Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award and one of her photos was named Photo of the Year by the World Press Photo in 2025.