'All Eyes On Rafah' Image Trends On Social Media — All You Need To Know

In a renewed push for attention to Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, an image with the slogan 'All Eyes on Rafah' has garnered more than 33 million shares on Instagram in less than 24 hours.

The image depicts tents in a camp arranged to spell out 'All Eyes on Rafah', an area in the south of Gaza filled with refugee tent camps.

Activists and humanitarian groups, particularly in western Europe, Australia, and India, are rallying to draw the world's attention to the violent conflict that has been raging for months now.

The campaign gained momentum following an Israeli strike aimed at a Hamas compound in Rafah that resulted in the deaths of dozens of people, including civilians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the situation on Monday, describing the civilian casualties as a "tragic accident." However, subsequent assaults continued on Tuesday.

Adding to the grim toll, an airstrike reportedly hit a "humanitarian area" in west Rafah, resulting in the deaths of 21 more people.

The phrase 'All Eyes on Rafah' is a call to action, urging the world to pay attention to the dire situation unfolding in the Palestinian city. With Israeli forces targeting Hamas battalions, civilians in Rafah are caught in the crossfire.

The campaign, now widespread on social media, aims to raise awareness about the impact of the war on the 1.4 million displaced Gazans who have sought refuge in Rafah.

There are more than 195,000 posts with millions of views for the hashtag #AllEyesOnRafah on TikTok and the topic was trending on Instagram on Tuesday, on which another almost 100,000 posts have been made, Forbes reported.

As per media reports, the roots of the trend trace back to a comment made by Rick Peeperkorn, director of the World Health Organisation's Office of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In February, Peeperkorn declared, "All eyes are on Rafah," shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an evacuation plan for the city. Netanyahu claimed that Rafah harboured the last remaining strongholds of the militant group Hamas.

Social media users worldwide have embraced the phrase, using it to highlight the plight of those affected by the conflict. Celebrities like former 'Made in Chelsea' star Ashley James and TV presenter Nadia Sawalha have posted about Rafah, urging their followers to demand a ceasefire and express solidarity with Palestinians. The phrase has gone viral, underlining the urgency of the situation. On Tuesday, several Indian celebrities, such as actors Varun Dhawan, Aly Goni, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Tripti Dimri and celebrity chef Thomas Zacharias also shared identical 'All Eyes on Rafah' graphics on their Instagram stories.

"The trend of posting 'All Eyes on Rafah' has been something that has been building for a little while," Matt Navarra, a social media consultant and industry analyst, told NBC News.

It further reported that the image seemed to be one of the first pieces of viral activist iconography to have been created by artificial intelligence. Marc Owen Jones, an associate professor of Middle East studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar who studies misinformation, said the image "definitely looks" AI-generated, NBC News reported.

Navarra is reported to have said the image highlights how activists can use AI to create content that can both communicate messages while abiding by platforms' rules.