“All Eyes on Rafah” is trending worldwide. Celebrities, businessmen, students, influencers, teachers, corporate entities, political parties, and common people, regardless of background, are sharing an AI-generated image reading “All Eyes on Rafah.” Why are people condemning Israel? What is Rafah, and what happened there? We spoke with student activist and psychologist Mariya Umam Asgar Khan from Hyderabad, Telangana.
Mariya Umam Asgar Khan
Why All Eyes on Rafah?:Rafah is a city in the southern Gaza Strip. It had a population of 171,889 in 2017.
Since the recent war on Gaza began, 90% of Gaza’s population – 2.3 million people – has been displaced to Rafah. Homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed due to Israel’s offensive.
Israel directed Gazans to move south. Bombing started from northern Gaza, moving to Rafah, leading to overcrowding. Over 1.4 million displaced Palestinians are in makeshift shelters and tents. A humanitarian disaster looms.
The Gaza Government Media Office reported Israel targeted the displacement camp with seven 900kg bombs and other missiles. Horrific videos of attacks on Rafah have gone viral, sparking global outrage.
Instagram user @shahv4012 first shared an AI-generated image with “All Eyes on Rafah.” The image went viral, with nearly 45 million shares in 48 hours.
Famous personalities sharing the “All Eyes on Rafah” image include:
- Priyanka Chopra: 74.5 million followers
- Varun Dhawan: 44.5 million followers
- Alia Bhatt: 43.5 million followers
- Kareena Kapoor: 34.5 million followers
- Samantha Ruth Prabhu: 23.5 million followers
- Tripti Dimri: 14.5 million followers
- Bella Hadid: 43.5 million followers
- Susan Sarandon: 2.5 million followers
- Saoirse-Monica Jackson: 1.5 million followers
- Leigh-Anne Pinnock: 4.5 million followers
- Travis Head: 1.5 million followers
- Dua Lipa: 44.5 million followers
- Pedro Pascal: 2.5 million followers
- Nicola Coughlan: 2.5 million followers
- Kehlani: 4.5 million followers
- Madhuri Dixit: 14.5 million followers
- Aly Goni: 2.5 million followers
- Shilpa Rao: 2.5 million followers
- Bhumi Pednekar: 14.5 million followers
- Rakul Preet Singh: 14.5 million followers
In India, some oppose the campaign, framing it as Hindu vs. Muslims because Palestinians are Muslims. This reveals an inferiority complex in right-wing ideology, comparing themselves to people facing genocide.
Historically, India has supported Palestinian rights. Mahatma Gandhi said, “Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French.”
Atal Bihari Vajpayee stated in 1977, “The land of the Arabs should be vacated, and the proper rights of the Palestinians should be respected.”
Indians should recall India’s position on Palestine. Students worldwide are staging pro-Palestine protests. Universities like Harvard, Manchester, Columbia, Auckland, Queen’s Belfast, and Liverpool are involved.
We must raise our voices against Israel’s actions, which have crossed the limits of humanity. Killing children, women, and men, and bombing mosques, hospitals, and homes, leaves Palestinians with nothing.
This could become a global issue. We must unite, raise our voices against the genocide, and stand for humanity and justice. If we don’t, the world may turn to ashes.
Let’s unite for humanity.