Rafah has historically been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Its border crossing – the Rafah Border Crossing – is one of the few gateways to the Gaza Strip not controlled by Israel, making it a crucial access point for humanitarian aid and goods.
The city has seen numerous conflicts and blockades, significantly affecting the lives of its residents.
The viral image represents one of the earliest instances of activist iconography generated by artificial intelligence.
Matt Navarra, a social media consultant and industry analyst, told NBC “the trend of posting ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ has been building for a while.”
Influencers, celebrities, and other prominent figures across various platforms, not limited to Instagram, have been sharing similar sentiments, significantly amplifying the message’s reach and visibility.
Marc Owen Jones, an associate professor of Middle East studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, specialising in misinformation, noted that the image “definitely looks” AI-generated.
Things suggesting AI-generation include the lack of photorealism, peculiar shadows, and the unnaturally symmetrical arrangement of the tent camp.
Such uniformity is characteristic of pattern repetition often seen in AI-generated content.