'All eyes on Rafah' has ricocheted across social media. But are people genuinely concerned about Rafah, or is this just 'slacktivism'?"All eyes on Rafah", the slogan declares, superimposed on a field of refugee tents neatly stretching into the distance, nestled between snowy mountains and fluffy cloudy skies.
It has been celebrated for raising awareness of the killing of civilian Palestinians in an area that was previously declared a "safe zone" for people fleeing the fighting. Political activist Sait Hoax also encouraged their millions of followers to share more than "sanitized AI images". "But at the same time I would also argue that if there are people that don't usually care about what's going on in Rafah or Gaza, who are now using their platform to share this, especially if it's people who wouldn't normally do it, I think there is a value in it."One of the other major criticisms from Palestinian supporters is that the sanitised imagery doesn't truly represent the horrors of the war.
Digital media expert Dr Kelly Lewis from Monash University said the more sanitised image being widely shared signalled a new form of activism in this war. More than a million people have been forced to flee Rafah, after already fleeing several times before, or risk being caught in the danger zone.