Srinagar, May 30: “Focus on Rafah” has become a slogan on social media platforms, particularly Instagram, with millions of users, including celebrities, sharing the post to draw attention to the plight of the city in the southern Gaza Strip.
The city of Rafah, which borders Egypt, is a focal point of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.
More than 40 million people have shared the AI-generated image on their Instagram stories. The viral movement began following the devastating airstrike on May 26, 2024, which killed many civilians.
At least eight missiles struck the relatively safe Tal As-Sultan area in the northwest of Rafah, home to thousands of displaced Palestinians. International media reports said most of the tents in the area were damaged in fires caused by the attacks. Around 1.5 million displaced people had taken refuge in the area.
NBC News quoted social media consultant and industry analyst Matt Navarra as saying, “This is an AI-generated image and does not contain any particularly risky or controversial content, which may have allowed it to avoid automated moderation on the platform.”
“Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has been accused of removing a video filmed by a Palestinian journalist reporting on Israeli massacres in Gaza,” TRT reported.
Organisations including Save the Children, Oxfam, Americans for Justice for Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign have previously protested the incursion into the Gaza city of Rafah under the slogan “All eyes on Rafah”.
