Twenty photographs of the week

The week around the world in 20 pictures

The US election, the aftermath of the floods in Valencia, Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and the Maa festival in Kenya: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists

Paiporta, Spain

Tania hugs her brother-in-law Baruc after rescuing some belongings from their flooded house in Paiporta. More than 200 people were confirmed to have died after heavy rains last week caused waterways to overflow, creating flash floods that surged through suburbs south of the city of Valencia, sweeping away cars and bridges, and flooding properties and underground car parks.

Photograph: Emilio Morenatti/AP

Paiporta, Spain

Guardia Civil officers search for survivors inside cars trapped among the foundations of a building under construction in the town of Paiporta. At least 89 people remained missing after the deadly floods in eastern Spain, regional judicial authorities in Valencia have confirmed, as the country’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said he was earmarking €10.6bn (£8.9bn) to help victims.

Photograph: Biel Aliño/EPA

Baalbek, Lebanon

Destruction from an Israeli airstrike in front of the ancient ruins in Baalbek, an Unesco World Heritage site. Israel has increasingly targeted Lebanon’s eastern city of Baalbek and the surrounding Bekaa valley, considered a bastion of Hezbollah support. The provincial governor instructed residents not to seek shelter near the ruins, as he could not guarantee they would be spared from bombing.

Photograph: Ed Ram/Getty Images

Gaza

Children sit on a sofa amid the destruction from an Israeli airstrike in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Nearly 70% of the people killed in the ongoing Gaza conflict were women and children, according to the UN in a new report this week.

Photograph: Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images

Deir al-Balah, Gaza

Relatives of Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks mourn as they receive their bodies from the morgue of al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, this week fired his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, a figure widely considered by Israel’s international allies to be a brake on the far-right elements of the country’s coalition government, prompting protests around Israel.

Photograph: Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images

Deir al-Balah, Gaza

Palestinian women mourn as they receive the bodies of relatives killed by Israeli attacks in Deir al-Balah. Israel’s ousted defence minister, Yoav Gallant, reportedly said the army had achieved all its objectives in Gaza and that Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a hostages-for-peace deal against the advice of his own security establishment.

Photograph: Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images

Washington DC, US

Supporters react to election results at an event for the Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, at Howard University in Washington. Harris formally conceded the election to Donald Trump on Wednesday, urging Americans devastated by the result to ‘not despair’ but to stay engaged and remain vigilant in the fight to protect American democracy.

Photograph: Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images

Huehuetan, Mexico

Migrants walk along the Huixtla highway hoping to reach the country’s northern border and ultimately the United States. Donald Trump’s promise to deport millions of undocumented migrants had no “price tag”, the president-elect said, setting the scene for a confrontation between his incoming administration and Democratic officials across the US.

Photograph: Moisés Castillo/AP

Henderson, Nevada, US

The Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, arrives for a campaign rally at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson. Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States in a stunning political resurrection that sent shockwaves through America and around the world. He becomes the first convicted criminal to win the White House. At 78 he is also the oldest person ever elected to the office.

Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Moorpark, California, US

An inmate hand crew battles a mountain fire in Moorpark. Fast-moving fires erupted across California this week as the state was lashed by powerful winds that complicated firefighting efforts, necessitated power shutoffs and raised the danger for more fires.

Photograph: Allison Dinner/EPA

Parotani, Bolivia

A man confronts members of the Bolivian military police during a blockade by supporters of former president Evo Morales in Parotani. A large contingent of police and military were clearing the roads that had been occupied by Morales’ followers for over two weeks, as they protested in defence of their leader in light of a possible arrest warrant against him for a case of human trafficking and statutory rape.

Photograph: Luis Gandarillas/EPA

Havana, Cuba

A woman walks past a Che Guevara mural as Hurricane Rafael approaches Havana. Cuba was left reeling after the fierce category 3 hurricane ripped across the island, knocking out the country’s power grid, downing trees and damaging infrastructure.

Photograph: Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters

Khartoum North, Sudan

A Sudanese army soldier scans the frontline with binoculars in Khartoum North. Sudan’s war erupted in April 2023 with the fighting between the regular army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

Photograph: Amaury Falt-Brown/AFP/Getty Images

Saint-Louis, Senegal

A pelican named Ndagabar – which means ‘pelican’ in the local Wolof language – makes the rounds of the neighbourhood in the early hours in Saint-Louis.

Photograph: Cem Ozdel/Anadolu/Getty Images

Samburu, Kenya

Women in traditional attires watch as their morans - traditional warriors - of the Samburu community perform a cultural dance that entails high vertical leaps during the Maa festival that brought members of Maasai tribes from across Kenya to the Samburu national reserve.

Photograph: Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images

Edinburgh, Scotland

Performers take part in a procession during the Samhuinn fire festival. The festival is a modern take on an ancient Celtic festival, marking the transition between summer and winter.

Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Moorpark, California, US

Horses gallop in an enclosure at Swanhill Farms as a mountain wildfire burns in Moorpark.

Photograph: Noah Berger/AP

Camarillo, California, US

A home is consumed by fire behind a Trump 2024 election sign in Camarillo. About 10,000 people remained under evacuation orders as the mountain fire continued to threaten 3,500 structures in suburban neighbourhoods, ranches, and agricultural areas.

Photograph: Allison Dinner/EPA

Washington DC, US

An American flag left behind at the event held by the Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, during election night at Howard University.

Photograph: Daniel Cole/Reuters

Valencia, Spain

Gloves and cleaning utensils hang in a window during the clean-up after the floods in Masanasa.

Photograph: Emilio Morenatti/AP