'All eyes on Rafah' trends in Kerala, celebrities show solidarity with Palestinians

The 'All Eyes on Rafah' campaign gained significant traction in Kerala when actor Dulquer Salmaan shared it on his Instagram, introducing the Malayalee social media community to the global initiative.

By May 28, the campaign was already trending worldwide, with people expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza currently facing a major Israeli ground offensive.

The campaign attracted attention over the weekend when Israeli shelling and airstrikes in Rafah killed at least 45 people, including many who had taken shelter in tents. Gaza medics reported that the attack, which occurred late on May 26, also resulted in hundreds of civilians suffering from shrapnel and burn injuries, drawing condemnation from global leaders.

The phrase 'All Eyes on Rafah' is central to the social media campaign, which features an AI-generated image depicting tents arranged to spell out the slogan. This image highlights an area in the Gaza Strip filled with refugee camps, urging people to stay informed about the situation in Rafah, where around 1.4 million people have sought refuge amidst ongoing violence.

The slogan originated from a statement by Rick Peeperkorn, director of the World Health Organization’s Office of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In February, he stated, "All eyes are on Rafah," after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an evacuation plan for the city ahead of planned attacks to target what he described as the last strongholds of Hamas.

Apart from Dulquer Salmaan, other celebrities such as Nimisha Sajayan, Keerthi Suresh, Prakash Raj, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and Atlee from the southern film industries, as well as Bollywood stars like Varun Dhawan, Aly Goni, and Tripti Dimri, have joined the campaign, sharing the 'All Eyes on Rafah' image on their Instagram stories to express solidarity with Palestinians.

Interestingly, celebrities who typically avoid political campaigns have also participated in the pro-Palestinian movement. This has led to right-wing trolls alleging that it is a paid campaign. Some celebrities, including Ritika Sajdeh, the wife of Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma, have been targeted and compelled to remove their posts due to these accusations.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned Israel’s attack on the Rafah refugee camp on social media. "Protests against the invasion, backed by the United States of America, are escalating worldwide. Despite the growing dissent, Israel persists with its military offensive, disregarding the protests. Anti-imperialist factions globally should unite against this terrorist action. The people of Gaza must be assisted in returning to their normal lives. Efforts to militarise the region and oppress the Palestinian people must be thwarted," CM Vijayan stated on his Facebook page.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] was one of the first political parties in India to respond to the weekend offensive by Israel. "Despite the direction given by the International Court of Justice to halt the offensive on Rafah, the Israeli Armed Forces are continuing their inhuman attacks. The death toll in the genocidal war on Gaza has now crossed 36,000, with thousands more buried under the rubble," the party stated.

The CPI(M) has called on all democratic and peace-loving people in India to protest against "Israel’s genocidal war" and demanded an immediate halt to the Rafah offensive and the enforcement of a ceasefire. "The Modi government should forthwith demand that Israel halt its war and accept a ceasefire. The government should also stop all arms exports to Israel which are being used in this barbaric war," the party urged.

No other political parties from the INDIA bloc have stepped forward to condemn the attack.

The social media handles of the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League remained silent, with no posts in solidarity with Palestine following the weekend offensive by Israel.