Why is 'All Eyes On Rahaf' suddenly trending on social media?
If you keep your eyes on social media, especially Instagram, you will see a special picture written right now. Within a short time, the picture written 'All Eyes On Rahaf' is practically trending. This means, all eyes are on Rafah. But why is this sentence trending suddenly? What is the source?
After the Israeli attack on the refugee camp in Gaza, the post "All Eyes On Rahaf" went viral on social media.
American media NBC News reported in a report that the photo, which calls the world's attention to Israel's ongoing violence in Gaza, has been shared 40 million times on Instagram in less than 24 hours. And as time goes on, the post seems to be spreading more and more.
Basically, people from all over the world are posting in support of Palestine who have taken refuge in Rahaf in the war-torn Gaza area, it is referred to as 'All Eyes On Rahaf'.
According to international media reports, 45 people, including women and children, were killed in Israel's attack on the refugee camp in Rahaf, southern Gaza last Sunday night. Following the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the Rahaf attack was a "tragic accident".
Initially, the Israeli army claimed that a successful operation had been carried out on the base of Hamas. In which several Hamas commanders were killed. But as soon as the information about the attack on the refugee camp came out, the world was condemned. And since then 'All Eyes On Rahaf' is trending.
The photo was initially shared through Instagram's Stories feature. Among those who shared it, are many influential athletes and celebrities including 'Bridgerton' star Nicola Coughlan, singer-songwriter Kehlani and India's popular actor Varun Dhawan.
Despite Meta's efforts to limit the spread of political content on its platforms, Instagram has become an important medium for Palestine journalists and Palestine supporters in recent months.
While the 'All Eyes On Rafah' image is spreading rapidly, many videos posted by Palestinian journalists from Rafah have been restricted and in some cases graphic images of Israeli attacks have been removed from social media as 'violent' or 'sensitive', NBC says. An Instagram spokesperson said,
The company has removed some content of a violent and graphic nature that violated the platform's policy. According to social media consultant and analyst Matt Navarra,
Many influencers and celebrities are sharing the All Eyes On Rahaf post. Millions of people follow these celebrities not only on Instagram but on multiple platforms. Due to this the reach of the post is increasing.
The image titled 'All Eyes On Rahaf' is also believed to be one of the first images of viral 'activist iconography' created with artificial intelligence or AI. Mark Wayne Jones, an associate professor of Middle East studies at Qatar's Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani University who studies 'misinformation', said the image definitely appeared to be AI-generated.
Also, the account from which the 'All Eyes On Rahaf' image was initially posted on Instagram was not immediately available for comment.
But whoever makes it and how it makes it; The 'All Eyes On Rahaf' post is one of the biggest examples of the protests against the occupying Israel in different parts of the world.