You may have wondered what “All Eyes On Rafah” means, which in Danish can be translated to “all eyes on Rafah”. It is an AI-generated image with the text “All Eyes on Rafah” that has taken social media by storm and has been shared over 46 million times on Instagram. This happens in the midst of Israel’s attack on Gaza, specifically targeting Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip near the border with Egypt. The image, bearing the slogan “All Eyes on Rafah,” is a clear call to redirect the world’s attention to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Rafah. The picture has been shared on millions of Instagram stories since Monday, the day after Israel’s violent offensive against Rafah.
The slogan “All Eyes on Rafah” was likely inspired by a statement from Richard “Rik” Peeperkorn, WHO’s representative for Gaza and the occupied West Bank, who in February commented on the impending Israeli offensive against Rafah. This statement was quickly picked up by Ameera Kawash, a British-based Palestinian-Iraqi-American artist and researcher investigating AI’s influence on Palestinian lives and narratives. Since then, the slogan has become a symbol of resistance and solidarity, making its way onto protest posters and numerous social media posts.
The situation in Rafah on Sunday, two days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah, Israeli forces bombed the al-Mawasi area in western Rafah, resulting in at least 45 killed. This area had previously been declared a safe zone. The AI-generated image shows an aerial view of a camp with tents arranged in orderly rows between snow-covered mountains. In the center, some of the tents form the text “All Eyes on Rafah” against a clear blue sky with clouds. This starkly contrasts with the reality in Rafah, where the sky is gray from smoke from Israeli bombs, and the tents are chaotically placed and often damaged or destroyed.
The global attention on Rafah due to the viral spread of the image can be attributed to several factors. Instagram users can easily share the image using the “Add Yours” feature, making sharing quick and uncomplicated. Furthermore, the AI-generated image seems to avoid censorship, which normally targets content with specific keywords, further aiding its explosive spread. While the actual situation in Rafah worsens day by day, this viral image manages to attract global attention and solidarity with the affected Palestinians. Therefore, All Eyes On Rafah is a statement of support from individuals sharing the image that the ongoing crisis in Rafah demands world attention and action.