All Eyes on Rafah: What does it mean?

What in the World

The slogan “All Eyes on Rafah” has been trending on social media. One image in particular, of white tents spelling out that phrase, has gone viral on Instagram with around 40 million shares. The picture is AI generated. Shayan Sardarizadeh from BBC Monitoring’s disinformation team tells us where the image came from and why so many people have posted it.

Rafah is a city in the south of Gaza and it’s been in headlines since the Israeli military began what it calls “targeted” ground operations against Hamas fighters and infrastructure in early May.

The UN says around a million people have now fled the fighting in Rafah, but several hundred thousand more could still be sheltering there. Israel has insisted that victory in its seven-month war with Hamas in Gaza is impossible without taking Rafah and rejected warnings that it could have catastrophic humanitarian consequences.

Yolande Knell, a BBC Middle East correspondent in Jerusalem, describes what’s happening in Rafah. We also ask her to explain the different efforts to achieve a ceasefire, via negotiations between Israel and Hamas, draft resolutions at the United Nations, and applications to the International Court of Justice.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: [phone] Email: [e-mail] Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde