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It is not clear what exactly the image is. A series of tents? Truck beds on a rust orange background? Multicolored rectangles?
But the popularity of the picture raised questions and criticism about the act’s passivity.
Looking at Rafah hasn’t stopped the violence, scholar Ayesha Khan wrote on Instagram. Simply posting an ambiguous graphic is performative, Hahn and others note.
Still, the momentum of the post continues. Here’s where the phrase comes from, where the graphic comes from, and what it can signal.
Where did “All eyes on Rafa” come from?
The phrase “All eyes are on Rafa” has appeared in various graphics and images related to the Gaza war for months and is not necessarily related to this particular viral image.
At the time, more than 1.5 million Palestinian refugees, many fleeing from northern and central Gaza, were crammed into the southernmost city of Rafah, which was also subjected to a wave of Israeli airstrikes – attempts to “strike the Terrorists on Hamas in the area,” an IDF spokesman said.
“All eyes” were on Rafa, Piperkorn said, a phrase that then became widely used by activists and made its way into graphics such as the one currently going viral.
Instagram credits user shahv4012 as the creator behind the story template, which includes a watermark to the account chaa.my, listed as his second account.
The user behind the accounts did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment.
What makes this image so popular?
There are several aspects of this image that may have contributed to its popularity, noted Faiza Hirji, an associate professor at McMaster University in Ontario who studies race, religion and the media.
One is the inherent ability to share the image.
Because it’s not an actual depiction of violence, it’s a more “sanitized” depiction, Hirji told CNN, meaning there’s less risk of social media platforms suppressing it from being shared.
This allows the image to circulate more easily than actual images of war.
Additionally, the way the image is shared on Instagram—with a handy “add your own” feature that allows users to easily repost the image to their own personal stories—only helps its viral success.
The easier it is to share, the more likely people will do it.
However, there were some criticisms of the image.
To understand the graphic, the user must have some idea of what is actually happening in Rafah, and therefore will know that the image being shared does not actually depict the violence and scale of the destruction.
For some, this may make the graphics more appealing, while others argue that the image takes away from what is actually happening on the ground.
“I think for some people it also causes some discomfort,” Hirji said.
“Because you’re directing everyone’s eyes to an image that doesn’t really show the horror of what’s happening in conflict zones.
What does “All eyes on Rafa” mean?
Others pointed out that the image did not actually include the words “Palestine” or “Gaza” – names that were widely politicized even before October 7.
“Do people Google Rafah? Are they sharing without looking for it?”
Everyone probably has different motivations behind sharing an image.
For some, sharing the image may be a call for others to investigate what is happening in the region and in Rafah in particular, Hirji said.
Reposting the image can be a way to tell your audience, “Don’t look away. You can’t pretend it’s not happening.”
Other interpretations are less charitable.
Take, for example, the argument that the graphic is a performative gesture, an image that can’t be bothered to show the reality of Gaza with a vague political statement stamped on top – not unlike the black squares posted on social media during the racial reckoning of 2020
But unlike the debates about racism following the killing of George Floyd, for many people in the West the war in Gaza is not happening close to home.
This can make it difficult for people to feel empowered, Hirji said, in terms of their direct ability to influence the outcome of the war.
“I think a lot of people are powerless and feel that powerlessness,” she said.
“Some of them may be performative, but maybe they feel that the only action they can really take at this point is to at least raise awareness.”
“So the idea of ’All eyes on Rafa’, if it can be a bit informative or educational, then maybe there’s a sense that that’s the action they can take.”
Yet there are worries about “lazy activism,” the idea that all we have to do to change the world is share an infographic enough times.
“We need much more than performative rallies and symbolic protests that are not intended to disrupt anything,” Khan wrote.
“Testifying is still a passive act. And we must not pamper ourselves by pretending that fasting a day … is essential.”
Civilians flee in Rafah as Israel continues its offensive
The phrase itself – keeping an eye on a place – inherently prioritizes the audience over Rafa, creating a distance between the spectators and the victims.
And yet, Hirji said, even amid calls not to look away, the world often does.
“It’s important, you could say, if nothing else, we’re admitting our complicity or admitting our inaction,” Hirji said.
“That’s an interpretation.”
But there is another interpretation, which could be that the audience presents itself as a bystander to this trauma, Hirji noted, becoming both indifferent and inactive.
The history and research of past conflicts in parts of the Middle East or the Global South speaks for itself, Hirji said — “often so much of what we do is look, judge, comment,” even if we don’t know enough about the places we watch or comment.
“And is that also something that some people are trying to point out by making this call? To say: So we’re watching it, now what?” – said Hirji.
“What happens after viewing?”
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