The Real Story Behind ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ & The Evils Of Hamas
On the “viral” uninformed outrage and selective activism.
In an emotionally charged campaign that went viral yesterday, an AI-generated image depicting tents in a camp arranged to spell out “All Eyes on Rafah” that actually looks nothing like Rafah was shared over 44 million times in less than 24 hours following an Israeli strike targeting Hamas commanders.
While it is not the first time that selective and uninformed social media activism of this kind has ensued based on an anti-humanitarian agenda to cover up a greater evil, what’s even more amusing and concerning is how many people are blindly following this trend without even knowing the full story.
The people blindly supporting the “All Eyes On Rafah” trend on Instagram need to dig deeper and understand why and how a certain unfortunate situation has been created and because of whom.
It is deeply troubling to witness the masses engaging in this trend without a grasp of the complex and harrowing realities of the Israel-Palestine conflict. The situation in Rafah is a grim testament to the brutality of war, but to understand why Rafah has become a battleground, it is important for these social media activists to look beyond the surface.
Many of those sharing this image on social media have little to no understanding of the intricacies involved. They fail to recognize that Israel is engaged in a fight against terrorism, against Hamas, a terrorist organisation, which has been designated as such by the US, the EU, and other countries.
These activists were notably silent on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a brutal terrorist attack at a music festival in Israel at a music festival, involving a barrage of several thousand rockets concurrent to an estimated 3,000 militants breaching the Gaza–Israel barrier and attacking Israeli civilian communities and military bases.
This inconsistency in their activism is glaring. The root cause of the devastation in Rafah lies in the actions of Hamas, a terrorist organization that has consistently used civilian areas as shields for its military operations.
As per a NATO StratComCOE case study on the Israel-Palestine conflict — Hamas, an Islamist militant group and the de facto governing authority of the Gaza Strip, has used human shields in conflicts with Israel since 2007.
This militant group has turned Rafah into a warzone by placing military commanders there, hiding ammunition among civilians, and launching attacks from within densely populated areas. They have dragged hostages into Rafah and used women and children as human shields, knowing full well that this would lead to bloodshed.
The destruction seen in Rafah today is a direct result of a terrorist organisation’s decision to use a once-peaceful city as a launchpad for war. Remember, when you are looking at what Rafah is today, what you are seeing is the evil of Hamas.
In the face of such aggression, Israel is fully entitled to defend itself and retaliate against the terrorists responsible. Every nation has a moral obligation to not only protect the safety and security of its citizens but to rescue those taken hostage. It is believed that many of the more than 130 hostages, some of whom are feared to be already dead, are being held in Rafah.
Civilian casualties in conflicts are always tragic, but the blame lies with Hamas, which has long used its own people as human shields. They operate from so-called “safe zones,” forcing civilians to remain in targeted areas to create a global narrative against Israel. This manipulative tactic exploits the power of social media, where first impressions and viral images often overshadow the complex truth.
Hamas’ Use Of Civilians As Human Shields
The stark reality is that Hamas not only initiated the Israel-Hamas War with its horrific massacre but also brought the war to Rafah, with deliberate disregard for the devastating impact on the people there.
Reports, even those reluctant to admit it, acknowledge that Hamas launched an attack on Israel from Rafah just hours before Israel retaliated. Hamas fired eight missiles from Rafah toward Tel Aviv, bragging about its ‘major rocket attack.’ It used Rafah as a staging area for anti-Semitic warfare, fully aware of the inevitable consequences. Hamas invited war to Rafah, and so war came.
This tragic scenario is not new in the Israel-Palestine conflict. For years, Hamas has been known to use human shields as a central part of its warfare strategy. By making Rafah the main base of its genocidal campaign against the Jewish State, Hamas has exploited the city’s civilians. Harried by the IDF from other parts of the Gaza Strip, Hamas found a ‘safe’ site for its warmongering in Rafah.
Israel estimates that Hamas has six battalions left in the Gaza strip, four of which are in Rafah: Yabna (South), Shaboura (North), Tel Sultan (West), and East Rafah. Two more Hamas battalions remain in central Gaza, in the Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah camps.
Numerous missiles have been fired from Rafah, resulting in the deaths of IDF soldiers and aiming to kill Israeli civilians. Hostages are being held in Rafah, and Hamas is using the city as a base for its brutal assaults and blackmail against Israel. Hamas has consistently launched rockets, positioned military infrastructure, and engaged the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) from or near residential and commercial areas.
Israel actively engages in measures to avoid harming civilians, including issuing warnings before strikes. However, Hamas believes that the Palestinian people support Hamas unconditionally, even if that means risking civilian lives. This is why they even force Palestinians to defy evacuation orders issued by the IDF before strikes targeting Hamas.
In 2006 Hamas (via spokespeople) said, “The citizens will continue defending their pride and houses and will continue to serve as human shields until the enemy will withdraw.” In 2014, it said, “Hamas despise those defeatist Palestinians that criticize the high number of civilian
casualties. The resistance praises our people…we lead our people to death…I mean, to war.”
As per this terrorist organisation, it is the Palestinian people’s religious and national duty to serve as human shields, in order to serve the resistance and support its cause.
The strategic logic behind using human shields has two main components. First, it relies on Israel’s commitment to minimizing collateral damage. Second, it leverages Western public opinion’s sensitivity to civilian casualties. If the IDF uses lethal force and causes civilian casualties, Hamas can accuse Israel of committing war crimes, potentially leading to international sanctions.
Conversely, if the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) limit its military actions to avoid civilian casualties, Hamas becomes less vulnerable to Israeli attacks, allowing it to protect its assets while continuing its assaults. Despite strong public support in Israel for their political and military leaders during operations, civilian casualties create significant friction between left-wing and right-wing supporters, with the former questioning the operation’s outcomes.
What The Israeli Defence Forces Have to Say
According to the IDF, the area targeted in the retaliation strike was known to be used for Hamas activities. Just 47 meters from the strike site was a rocket launcher and a launching pit, both crucial elements in Hamas’s offensive operations.
The compound itself was located one kilometre away from a designated humanitarian zone. To minimize collateral damage in the nearby camp, the IDF used two small munitions, each with a 17-kilogram warhead — insufficient on their own to cause the subsequent fire that tragically ensued.
The IDF suspects that secondary explosions from Hamas’s own ammunition or other materials stored at the site likely caused the fire. “We have a suspicion, following intelligence surveillance and analysis of the videos from the event that were distributed on social networks, that secondary explosions at the site were caused by Hamas ammunition storage. This suspicion is under investigation,” stated the IDF.
Adding to this, the IDF released a recording of two Rafah residents discussing the cause of the fire. One resident reported, “They say that they [the Hamas commanders killed] sat in a meeting, and that there is [a facility] and in addition, there was ammunition that began to explode. Bags of money scattered in the air.” When asked if the exploding ammunition belonged to Hamas, the resident confirmed, “Yes, it is an ammunition depot. The bombardment by the Jews was not strong. It was a small missile, because it did not create a large hole. And then explosions began.”
Israel maintains that it uses military force solely to protect its citizens in response to Hamas’s aggression. The IDF targets only Hamas military facilities and militants, making every effort to avoid civilian casualties. The unfortunate loss of civilian life is often a result of Hamas’s practice of using human shields to protect its assets and further its attacks against Israel.
In the face of ongoing violence, Israel’s stance remains that it must defend its people against terrorism. The situation in Rafah is a stark reminder of the human cost of conflict, exacerbated by Hamas’s cynical and inhumane tactics.
Social Media Activists’ Silence on India’s Own Matters & Plight Of Hindu Minorities
Now, let’s address the online activism that blatantly ignores these complexities and facts. Many people, including Indian celebrities and the Bollywood lobby, have taken to Instagram to express their concern about what’s happening in Gaza. Yet, these same voices were conspicuously silent on October 7, 2023. They have also remained quiet in the ensuing months as Hamas continues to hold Israeli hostages.
This selective outrage is not just limited to international matters. In India, while these social media activists and celebrities are quick to speak out on international concerns, their deafening silence on the atrocities faced by Hindu minorities in neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh raises serious questions. The persecution and suffering of Hindus in these countries are severe and has been well-documented.
Their hypocrisy is glaring, especially when they fail to speak out against domestic atrocities. They remain silent on issues such as the merciless killings of Hindus during riots, the growing instances of love jihad where Hindu women become victims of Islamist agendas, and other grave injustices that are swept under the rug.
This inconsistency in their activism reveals a selective moral compass driven by trending topics rather than genuine concern for all human rights abuses.
Furthermore, this selective outrage sets a dangerous precedent. By focusing solely on popular international issues and their corresponding “politically correct” narratives these activists are inadvertently promoting a motivated agenda.
To my fellow Indians who are blindly falling for the “All Eyes on Rafah” propaganda without looking at the complete picture, ask yourselves: would you react the same way if, tomorrow, God forbid, India had to retaliate against the terror spewing from Pakistan — a country that is known to harbour terrorists the same way? That sponsors terrorism to operate from its land? That enables terrorists to hide behind civilians?
The same viral emotion evoking pictures would dominate social media then. Who would you support at that time? Think critically, and stop falling prey to propaganda.
What’s happening right now clearly is a sad state of affairs but selective and uninformed outrage over what the situation “seems” to be like at the surface of things is extremely foolish, without understanding or acknowledging the real reason behind what’s going on.
Just because something is the popular public opinion right now doesn’t mean it is right or that the situation is black-and-white. If you share images and trends without understanding the full context, you inadvertently support a narrative that overlooks the real cause of the conflict. Those who genuinely care about the plight of civilians must look deeper into the causes of such tragedies and recognize the true perpetrators behind them.
To truly oppose the horror in Rafah, one must recognize and condemn the actions of Hamas.
