Rows of tents stretching into the distance on dusty ground surrounded by mountains. In the center, white structures spelling out the words “All eyes on Rafah”. The image – believed to have been generated with AI – broke records on Instagram, where over 44 million people added it to their stories. A form of social activism that comes in the wake of the massacre caused by an Israeli attack on a tent camp in the territory south of the Strip on Sunday evening.
The massacre sparked a wave of outrage and reignited support for Palestinians on social media: “All eyes on Rafah” was shared by celebrities, politicians, and ordinary users around the world, including in Italy. According to international media, the phrase was reportedly spoken by Rik Peeperkorn, an WHO representative in Gaza and the West Bank, in February. As Gaza was preparing for an extension of Israel’s ground invasion, the UN official declared: “All eyes are on Rafah”.
The viral image is attributed to an Instagram user named “Chaa”. Experts believe it to be one of the first works of viral activism created by artificial intelligence. Along with millions of shares, it brought criticism against Meta, accused of censoring images of attacks in Gaza from the start of the war by limiting their distribution or hiding them behind sensitive content warnings.
Matt Navarra, a social media consultant and industry analyst, told Nbc News that the image could be a way for activists to share their message while playing by the rules of social media platforms: “The image is probably evading some of the platform’s automated controls because it is generated by artificial intelligence and there is nothing that is extremely dangerous or controversial.”
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