NInstagram’s first 45 million users — including celebrities like Bella Hadid and Nicola Coughlan — shared an AI-generated image depicting tent camps for displaced Palestinians and a slogan that reads “all eyes on Rafah,” according to a count on Instagram on Wednesday afternoon.
The sharing of the post comes amid criticism from the international community regarding Rafah, which is located in the south of the Gaza Strip, close to the Egyptian border, and has been the target of intense bombing by Israeli troops. Military strikes set fire to shelters, causing Palestinians to dig charred remains in hopes of rescuing survivors. At least 45 Palestinians have been killed so far. Rafah was previously considered a humanitarian zone for civilians.
Sarah Jackson, associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication, tells TIME that the origins of internet activism date back to the 1990s, when leaders behind the Zapatista uprising distributed information about what was happening on the ground. But these days, Instagram appeals to activists as a platform for social change because of the visual aspect of the app, allowing users to share videos and photos.
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“One of the really important things we have to recognize is that many Palestinian journalists have been using Instagram to share from the ground what has been happening. We know that many of these journalists have been directly targeted and censored because of this, but this has been a popular platform among them,” says Jackson.
Jackson points out that many social media activists may have had difficulty sharing images from Gaza due to algorithmic guidelines that hide graphic content. Instagram says that while it understands why people share this type of content in certain cases, it encourages people to caption the photo with warnings about graphic violence, in accordance with its community guidelines.
See more information: Israel continues attacks in Rafah days after 45 civilians killed in bombings
Users may have found a workaround by sharing an AI image. “A lot of the images coming from the ground are really graphic and horrific,” she says. “It’s become increasingly difficult for people to actually document what’s going on… and when compelling images are documented, they are often censored at the platform level… it makes sense that people would turn to AI.”
Instagram user @shahv4012 first shared the “all eyes on Rafah” post to his story. Some criticized the use of AI for the photo. “There are people who are not satisfied with the photo and the model, I apologize if I made a mistake with you all,” said the user in an Instagram story. “Whatever it is [you do]do not disregard the Rafah issue now, spread it so that they will be shaken and afraid of the spread of all of us.”
The image’s slogan was likely inspired by Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO representative for Gaza, who previously said that “all eyes” were on what is happening in Rafah.
While some have pointed out that sharing the AI image doesn’t necessarily mean a user is fully informed about what’s happening in Rafah, Jackson says if the goal is to spread awareness and share that someone “is part of a collective that cares with this problem”, then it’s worth posting the photo in your story.
Israel’s decision to launch its military offensive on Rafah came two days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to halt its planned attack on Rafah, and was widely criticized by world leaders.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he was “outraged” by the Israeli attacks on Rafah. “These operations must stop. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians. I call for full respect for international law and an immediate ceasefire,” said Macron. shared on X on Monday. UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire and compliance with the ICJ order.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deaths “tragic”. More than 36 thousand Palestinians and around 1,500 Israelis were killed since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
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