Explainer: Why the 'All Eyes on Rafah' viral AI image is sweeping Instagram

The phrase ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ has become a rallying cry on social media platforms, particularly Instagram, where millions of users, including celebrities, have shared posts to draw attention to the plight of Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip.

This viral movement began following a devastating airstrike on May 26, 2024, which resulted in significant civilian casualties.

The words ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ are depicted by the arrangement of tents in a desert backdrop form a striking tableau.

As of Wednesday, the ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ slogan had received tens of millions of views and among celebrities who shared it, mostly via Instagram stories, were Bella Hadid, Australian comedian Celeste Barber, actor Aaron Paul and Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan. On X, it had received 6.5 million views as of Tuesday.

The phrase has since been repeated by groups keen to keep the world's attention on the area, including Save the Children, Oxfam, the Jewish Voice for Peace, and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. It has also been used as a rallying cry at protests in cities such as Paris, London, the Netherlands, New York City and Los Angeles.

Created by a user in Malaysia named shahv4012, the post in the form of a story template went viral, with users sharing a possibly AI-generated image that shows tents in a camp arranged to spell out ‘All Eyes on Rafah.’

More celebrities such as singer Dua Lipa, rapper and actor Kid Cudi, Bollywood star Varun Dhawan and US singer Kehlani have also joined the bandwagon.

The idea not only aims to bring into focus what is happening in Gaza but also show support for the Palestinian cause.

Another drawing by Egyptian artist Yassin Mohamed, who posts on the Instagram account @YassinDraws, has also been widely shared.

It depicts a father holding up a headless child with a flower in place of the child's missing head, referencing a video that went viral showing the aftermath of Israel's attack on the refugee camp.

Marc Owen Jones, an associate professor of Middle East studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar specialising in misinformation, said the image "definitely looks" AI-generated.

Among the signs suggesting that the image was generated by artificial intelligence include its lack of photorealism, the presence of peculiar shadows, and the unnaturally sprawling and symmetrical arrangement of the depicted tent camp.

Rafah, a city bordering Egypt, has been a focal point of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. The recent airstrike, which targeted a camp for displaced people, was reported by Reuters to have caused the death of 45 individuals and injured over 2,000.

In recent months, Instagram has become a pivotal platform for Palestinian journalists and supporters despite attempts by its owner, Meta, to restrict political content. This trend mirrors the broader surge in news dissemination on the platform.