Devika Sreejith

Over 37,000 people have been killed since the Israeli invasion of Palestine on 7th October, 2023. Despite real people sharing real images and videos of this devastation, an AI-generated image has gained popularity.

Recently, an image that read ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ cast across a background that was not Rafah went viral on social media. Let’s unpack this and discuss why this image does more harm than good. 

What Is Happening In Rafah?

First, we must understand why there is a focus on Rafah. When the violence escalated in Gaza in October, Israeli forces told people to flee to the south for safety, especially to Rafah. Situated on the southern border that Gaza shares with Egypt, the Rafah crossing is essential for humanitarian aid to enter from Egypt. 

“this image has received more publicity and engagement than the content on what is actually happening in Palestine and Gaza.”

On 6th May, Israeli forces sieged Rafah for “targeted ground operations” and closed the Rafah crossing the next day, hence stopping the income of aid and evacuation. Whilst nearly 1.5 million people had been taking refuge in Rafah, over one million of them have fled since to escape the violence that has ensued. For example, on 26th May earlier this year, Israeli forces killed at least 45 civilians in an airstrike at a Rafah camp. Referring to this incident, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Despite our utmost efforts not to harm innocent civilians, last night there was a tragic mishap.” 

The AI-generated image, which read ‘All Eyes on Rafah’, went viral on Instagram soon after this strike. Created by a Malaysian Instagram user, @shahv4012, the graphic was shared by over 47 million users. He added it to his Instagram story with the ‘Add Yours’ feature, making sharing easier for people. He later stated on his Instagram story, “There are people who are not satisfied with the picture and template, I apologise if I have made a mistake on all of you.”

Of course, I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong about sharing an image, AI-generated or not, to spread awareness about genocide. However, the issue is that this image has received more publicity and engagement than the content on what is actually happening in Palestine and Gaza.

Performative Activism

“Virtue signalling is an easier alternative to researching and educating oneself about the situation.”

Boston Medical Center defines performative activism as “done to increase one’s social capital rather than because of one’s devotion to a cause.” In this case, the definition perfectly describes the situation, as the image’s caption, ‘All Eyes on Rafah,’ provides no context regarding what is happening.

It seems somewhat disconnected from reality and even dystopian because it likely fails to reach much further than one’s limited followers bubble. Clicking on the ‘Add Yours’ button and immediately moving on to other trends is as far removed from social empathy as possible.

This incident illuminates a pressing question in today’s increasingly virtual society. Why do online masses only feel comfortable extending support for Palestinian lives in the form of an AI-generated image, as opposed to real footage of the violence?

Virtue signalling is an easier alternative to researching and educating oneself about the situation. And it’s also difficult not to feel immense pressure to hop onto the trend. I will admit that it can be intense emotionally to watch videos of thousands of people suffering and dying daily. But these horrors are happening in real time, and we should stop to consider the ethics of using sanitised, AI-generated images to raise support for the Palestinian cause.

Is This Another BLM Black Square?

“ how does a movement’s imagery impact its ethics and course of justice?”

The Black Lives Matter movement, which gained traction following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, has seen a similar use of social media for activism. Millions of users posted a black square on Instagram as a part of ‘Blackout Tuesday’ to stand in solidarity with the movement.

The black square and Rafah image raise the same question – how does a movement’s imagery impact its ethics and course of justice? It could be argued that these images help create conversation about what is happening worldwide and encourage people to learn more about it.

However, we cannot deny that this is the very bare minimum. For some, sharing such images on social media may be their way of convincing themselves and their followers that they are doing something for the cause. But are they actively doing anything?

Hashtags such as #BlackLivesMatter and #FreePalestine demonstrate how social media has the potential to be key channels for change. If you have a platform, however small, you can use it to efficiently raise awareness by sharing news clips or videos. Users on TikTok and Twitter, like Yuval, have made it very easy to be updated on what is happening in Palestine and donate if possible.

Sharing an AI-generated image to raise awareness may not be wrong, but it is not enough. 

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Featured image courtesy of  Ömer Yıldız on Unsplash. No changes have been made to this image. Image license found here.

Graduated with an MA in Communication and Media from the University of Leeds. Passionate about storytelling and journalism, LOVE movies, shows, and books, and happy to learn about pretty much anything!

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