An AI-generated image showing tent camps for displaced Palestinians and the slogan "All eyes on Rafah" has gone viral on Instagram, with more than 46 million users sharing it as of Thursday morning. The image has been re-shared on every other Instagram story since Monday, a day after Israel's deadly offensive on Gaza's Rafah.
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What Does 'All Eyes On Rafah' Mean?
-The slogan "All eyes on Rafah" is a call to attention to the situation in Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip near the border with Egypt. Rafah has seen a huge number of Palestinians arrive, fleeing violence in other parts of Gaza. Up to 1.4 million people are now taking shelter there.
-Israel has claimed that Hamas four brigades, the Palestinian group that governs the Strip, were there and has launched attacks on the city despite the large civilian population.
-The phrase "All eyes on Rafah" is believed to have stemmed from a comment by Rick Peeperkorn, director of the World Health Organization's Office of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, who said "All eyes are on Rafah" in February. The phrase is meant as a request for bystanders to not look away from the crisis in Rafah.
What’s happening In Rafah?
Two days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to halt its offensive on Rafah, an Israeli airstrike on Sunday killed at least 45 people in al-Mawasi in western Rafah, which was previously declared a safe zone.
Images from the scene showed the area engulfed in flames, with Palestinians fleeing in panic. Disturbing videos shared on social media showed severely burned bodies and a man holding what appears to be the headless body of a small child.
Another Israeli attack killed 21 in a displacement camp west of Rafah on Tuesday, at least 12 of those killed were women.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Israel has killed at least 36,171 people in Gaza since October 7.
Counter Pro-Israel AI image
A pro-Israel AI-generated image has been created to counter the trending 'All eyes on Rafah' campaign on social media. The image reads "Where were your eyes on October 7?" and has been shared by 474,000 people on Instagram stories as of Thursday morning.
The October 7 Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians. The militants also seized about 250 hostages, dozens of whom were released during a week-long truce in November.
The image features a depiction of a Hamas soldier standing over an infant with red hair, implied to be Kfir Bibas. Kfir is a 9-month-old baby who was taken hostage along with his mother and brother on October 7, according to The Times of Israel.
