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