'All eyes on Rafah': Viral Instagram image shared over 44 million times, triggers '#BoycottBollywood' trend

In the aftermath of a series of deadly Israeli airstrikes in Gaza that claimed the lives of several people, an AI-generated image titled 'All eyes on Rafah' has sparked a social media frenzy. The image, which has garnered over 44 million shares on Instagram and has emerged as a piercing symbol amid the mounting international condemnation of civilian deaths in Israel's offensive targeting Rafah.

The viral image shows a vast expanse of tents set against a desert backdrop, with imposing mountains in the distance, symbolising the plight of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who sought refuge in Rafah during the military campaign against Hamas.

Celebrities worldwide, including Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal and prominent models Bella and Gigi Hadid, who have Palestinian roots, and French football star Ousmane Dembele, joined the viral campaign by sharing the image on their social media platforms.

Several Bollywood actors were also seen sharing the post on Instagram; however, they received a lot of backlash from their beloved fans for sharing and supporting the Palestinian campaign.  This has also triggered the long-lost trend of 'Boycott Bollywood.'

Madhuri Dixit was one of the Bollywood celebrities that promoted the widely shared 'All Eyes On Rafah' in favour of Palestine. She quickly removed her Instagram Stories, though, and several social media users chastised her for doing so.

Beyond Instagram, the rallying cry of "All eyes on Rafah" was circulated across various social media channels, particularly on X, where the hashtag #alleyesonrafah gained significant traction with nearly a million mentions. Concurrently, discussions related to the Israeli assault on Gaza on X surged, with over 27.5 million messages exchanged in the past three days alone.

The Israeli airstrikes on Rafah resulted in a devastating fire at a relief shelter, leaving a grim toll of 45 civilian fatalities, including children, and injuring 249 individuals. 

In response to the widespread dissemination of the 'All eyes on Rafah' image, Israeli authorities countered with their own social media initiative, unveiling a photo captioned 'what your eyes fail to see,' shedding light on the plight of hostages held by Hamas following the October 7 attacks.

The Benjamin Netanyahu-led government shared the poster on X with the caption, "Where were your eyes on October 7?" The government also said in its post on X that Israel would never stop talking about October 7 and will continue to fight for its hostages.