"All Eyes on Rafah" – the phrase flooded social media on Tuesday as many people from across the world came out in support of Palestinians residing in the southern Gaza city where Israel is conducting a massive ground operation.
Israeli shelling and airstrikes, over the weekend, killed at least 45 people, most of them sheltering in tents, in the southern Gaza City of Rafah. The strike, which Gaza medics said also left hundreds of civilians with shrapnel and burn wounds, was launched late on Sunday and drew condemnation from world leaders.
Israeli forces pressed their assault on the border town despite an order last week from the top UN court to halt its operation there.
Israel, meanwhile, called the loss of life "a tragic accident" and its army said its munitions alone could not have caused the deadly blaze, adding that it had targeted and killed two senior Hamas militants in the strike.
The attack triggered global outrage against Israel, with many people taking to social media to post against the deadly attack.
“All Eyes on Rafah” is a phrase that refers to the ongoing genocide in Rafah, Gaza, with over 1.4 million Palestinians seeking shelter, Iran's Embassy in India posted on X.
The image, seemingly AI-generated, depicts tents in a camp arranged to spell out “All Eyes on Rafah,” an area in the south of Gaza filled with refugee tent camps. The phrase is meant as a request for bystanders to not look away from what’s happening in the city of Rafah—where as many as 1.4 million people are sheltering after fleeing from violent fighting elsewhere in Gaza—as Israel continues its offensive.
The slogan likely originated from a comment by Rick Peeperkorn, director of the WHO’s Office of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, who said in February, "All eyes are on Rafah," after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an evacuation plan for the city ahead of planned attacks on what he claims are the last Hamas strongholds.
A number of influencers, celebrities in India, including actors Varun Dhawan, Aly Goni, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Tripti Dimri, posted “All Eyes on Rafah” graphics to their Instagram stories.
Support groups like Save the Children, Oxfam, Americans for Justice in Palestine Action, Jewish Voice for Peace and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign have also adopted the slogan.
The hashtag #AllEyesOnRafah has over 195,000 posts and millions of views on TikTok, and it was trending on Instagram on Tuesday with nearly 100,000 posts.
