After continuous Israeli airstrikes resulted in numerous casualties in Gaza over recent days, an AI-generated image titled ‘All eyes on Rafah’ began circulating on social media. The viral image has been shared over 44 million times on Instagram, amidst global condemnation of civilian casualties in Israel’s offensive against Rafah.
The image portrays densely packed rows of tents stretching across a desert landscape, overshadowed by mountains, symbolizing the mass exodus of Palestinians to Rafah during Israel’s military campaign against Hamas.
The image gained traction among celebrities worldwide, with Chilean-US actor Pedro Pascal, models Bella and Gigi Hadid of Palestinian descent, and French football star Ousmane Dembele among the first to share it on social media.
The slogan “All eyes on Rafah” also gained prominence on other platforms, especially X. The hashtag #alleyesonrafah garnered almost one million hits on X, while the platform saw over 27.5 million messages discussing the Israeli attack on Gaza in the last three days.
Israeli airstrikes and shelling on Rafah on Sunday resulted in a massive fire in a relief shelter, causing 45 civilian deaths, including children, and leaving 249 people injured.
Following the widespread trend of “All eyes on Rafah,” Israel launched its own counter-narrative on social media. Israeli authorities shared a photo captioned ‘what your eyes fail to see,’ highlighting the plight of hostages taken by Hamas in the October 7 attacks.
The Israel Foreign Ministry reposted a tweet from the Embassy of the State of Israel in India, emphasizing the suffering of 125 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza’s tunnels. “This is why the conflict began. Knowing the full story is important before making any comments. We will not rest until EACH AND EVERY ONE of the hostages is home,” the tweet concluded.