‘All eyes on Rafah’ – This social media tag is hard to miss, especially after the global condemnation of Israeli strikes on Rafah’s refugee camps. It’s not just activists anymore who are trying to grab the world’s attention on the matter, but celebrities have also joined in raising their voices against the violence which has left over 36,000 Palestinians dead. Israel has time and again said that their target is not civilians in Gaza but the Hamas militants. However, what went down in Rafah on the fateful night of May 26, has appalled people all across the globe.
An Israeli airstrike on May 26 caused a massive fire killing 45 people in a tent camp in Gaza’s Rafah. According to Israel, the attack was carried out to eliminate Hamas’ chief of staff for the West Bank, along with another official who was behind the attacks on Israelis.
Beheaded and burnt kids, people screaming in agony with helplessness as their loved ones burn up inside, hospitals operating in an ocean of chaos, the images and stories from Rafah are harrowing. No words can help the people on the outside feel what the people in Rafah have faced. Needless to say, these horror stories have landed on social media pages of many when the crisis in Gaza had started going cold. From Bollywood celebrities to the common masses, everyone now has their eyes set on Rafah.
A now very viral picture with the text ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ has found its place in the Instagram stories of many celebrities including Priyanka Chopra, Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Tripti Dimri. Besides them several influencers like Dolly Singh and Shibani Bedi have also posted the picture.
As of now, the picture has been shared by over 33 million people on Instagram.
If you were to open your feed, it is highly likely that you friends must have shared this particular image as well.
The overwhelming response on social media has not only brought global attention to the atrocities in Rafah but has also sparked a wave of activism and solidarity. The surge in awareness and advocacy helps put immense pressure on political leaders to address the crisis urgently and to seek a diplomatic resolution that prioritises the safety and well-being of civilians.
Amidst the mounting pressure, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, May 27, said a “tragic mistake” was made in Rafah which killed at least 45 people. However, there is no sign of Israel taking a few steps back on the offensive. He even said an investigation will be carried out into the matter.
Israel denies strike on camp near Rafah, killing 21
Israel’s military denied striking a tent camp west of Rafah on Tuesday, despite Gaza health authorities reporting that Israeli tank shelling had killed at least 21 people in the area, which Israel has designated as a civilian evacuation zone.
Gaza emergency services reported that on Tuesday, four tank shells struck a cluster of tents in Al-Mawasi, a coastal strip designated by Israel as an expanded humanitarian zone and recommended as a safe area for civilians from Rafah.
The US reiterated its opposition to a major Israeli ground offensive in Rafah, but stated it did not believe such an operation was currently taking place.
US’ response on Rafah killings
The United States on Tuesday said it was closely monitoring the investigation into the deadly Israeli airstrike, which it described as tragic.However, it added that the deaths in Rafah did not constitute a major ground operation that would cross any US red lines.
“The Israelis have said this is a tragic mistake,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
“We’ve also said we don’t want to see a major ground operation in Rafah that would really make it hard for the Israelis to go after Hamas without causing extensive damage and potentially a large number of deaths. We have not seen that yet,” he added.