'#AllEyesOnRafah' Hashtag Meets Counter-Hashtags Like '#WhereWereYourEyes...'

For the past day and a half, the hashtag 'AllEyesOnRafah' has been trending on X and Instagram, a show of discontent by the world with Israel's attacks on Rafah, which led to the deaths of many Palestinian civilians. In response to this movement, however, a counter-movement has also spawned online by those that support Israel, with the hashtag '#WhereWereYourEyes...'

The hashtag began as an AI-generated image shared on Instagram, which quickly spread like wildfire, showcasing a line of tents near some mountains, with some of the larger, white-coloured tents in the centre spelling out the words 'All Eyes On Rafah'. This image was made in response to Israel's bombings in Rafah, a presumed safe zone in the war. The incident led to the deaths of at least 45 civilians, which included many women and children.

The hashtag was shared online by many on X and Instagram, including Indian celebrities such as Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Varun Dhawan, and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, as reported by NDTV World.

In response to this hashtag, those in support of Israel also formed their own hashtag, 'WhereWereYourEyesOn...', an attempt to call out the hypocrisy in showing discontent with the bombings in Rafah, while having stayed quiet on October 7th, the day Hamas attacked and kidnapped many Israeli civilians.

This hashtag was also paired with another AI-generated image, showing a Hamas soldier holding a gun in front of a baby, as Israel's flag burns to the right. It was even shared by the Israel Foreign Ministry's official account

Elvish Yadav, in his story on Instagram, also made some counter hashtags like 'AllEyesOnPok' as a means of calling out Bollywood celebrities who showed support for Palestine, but stayed quiet on the conflicts between India and Pakistan.

This has also led to other hashtags such as 'BoycottBollywood' trending on X, which aims to call out celebrities in the industry for the perceived double standards.