Why “All Eyes On Rafah” Is Trending: The Story Behind the Hashtag

Over 45 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike. These attacks hit tents full of displaced people. Many countries and human rights groups have condemned these strikes.

Witnesses told Al Jazeera that the Tal as-Sultan area considered a “safe zone” in northwest Rafah, was struck by at least eight Israeli missiles.

Rafah is a place in the Gaza Strip where displaced Palestinians were living in tents. But on Sunday, this safe place also came under missile attacks, due to which the concern of citizens increased at the international level. After this attack, many tents caught fire, many people stopped breathing and children got burnt. According to media reports a fuel tank explosion caused by an Israeli airstrike was the cause of the tent fire.

What is the story behind “All Eyes On Rafah”

Images of burnt bodies and people with severe injuries started appearing on social media, causing the phrase “All Eyes on Rafah” to trend. This campaign, led by activists and humanitarian groups, aims to bring attention to Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip. In Rafah, people are living in crowded refugee camps without any humanitarian aid.

The aim behind this campaign is to urge people not to turn their eyes away from Rafah. 15 lakh people have taken shelter there.

Though many experts are claiming that this image is AI-generated.

NBC reported that the images have odd shadows, and no real appearance, it is mostly AI-generated.

The reason behind the start of this campaign is said to be the statement of Rick Peppercorn, Director of the World Health Organization’s office. He made the statement in February after then Netanyahu planned an evacuation way for Rafah ahead of the attacks.

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#AllEyesOnRafah ran an impactful campaign on social media with over 1,95000 posts and millions of views, trending on Instagram. It received more than 29 million views in less than 24 hours. It gained support from all over the world, even the Bollywood stars Madhuri Dixit, Aly Goni, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Tripti Dimri, and Varun Dhawan also shared the story of “All Eyes on Rafah” image on their Instagram stories.

As the world watches the hashtags continue to go viral, international organizations must take serious action to combat misinformation and help the people in Rafah.