Celebrities, athletes, and millions of social media users worldwide have been rallying behind the 'All Eyes On Rafah' campaign, spotlighting the Israeli air strikes in Rafah, a southern city in Gaza. This movement gained momentum after an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in Rafah killed at least 45 civilians, including children, intensifying global criticism of Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
In response, Israel released an image questioning why similar attention wasn't given to the Hamas attack on October 7. This attack resulted in approximately 1,160 deaths in Israel, predominantly civilians, and the abduction of about 250 hostages. While some hostages were freed during a truce in November, Israel estimates that 99 remain alive and 31 have died.
Israel's military efforts to dismantle Hamas have resulted in at least 31,112 deaths in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Despite the widespread condemnation, Israel denied targeting the Rafah camp, attributing the damage to secondary fires from a rocket hitting a Hamas weapons depot.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government posted an image on X (formerly Twitter) featuring a Hamas militant standing before a baby, with the caption "Where were your eyes on October 7?" This was a direct counter to the viral 'All Eyes On Rafah' campaign, which had been shared by nearly 45 million Instagram users. The campaign's image depicted a vast expanse of tents in the desert, symbolizing the displacement of Palestinians due to the conflict.
Indian celebrities such as Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Varun Dhawan, and Samantha Ruth Prabhu were among those who shared the 'All Eyes On Rafah' image, adding their voices to the global outcry.