The best photos of 2023 - part one: News

The National picks the most striking images of the year

A girl looks on as she stands by the rubble outside a building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

Smoke billows after a level-three fire broke out inside the Appapada slums in Mumbai, India. EPA

Cop28 President Dr Sultan Al Jaber hugs UN climate change executive secretary Simon Stiell at the plenary session, in Dubai. Reuters

People search for victims after an earthquake in Herat, Afghanistan. EPA

A man mourns as he attends a funeral of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

Inmates at the Counter-Terrorism Confinement Centre mega-prison, in Tecoluca, 74km southeast of San Salvador. AFP

Destroyed buildings in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake, in Antakya, Turkey. Reuters

Palestinian families flee Gaza city towards the southern areas following Israeli air strikes. AFP

More from The National:

Sunday's best photos: from an inflatable Santa to a bull race in Sumatra

Saturday's best photos: From mourners in Prague to a Florida rocket launch

Friday's best photos: From an installation in Kyiv to a procession in Guatemala

Thursday's best photos: From an ashram in Mathura to a protest in Buenos Aires

Wednesday's best photos: From Christmas lights in Mexico to a choir in London

Tuesday's best photos: From a volcano in Iceland to harissa in Kashmir