The phrase “All Eyes On Rafah” became widespread on various social media platforms over the recent months, asking people to pay attention to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, which has now entered its eighth month as Gaza, particularly its Rafah border, remains critical with civilians caught in the midst of the violence. The phrase has been used by people ranging from the Director of the World Health Organization, Dr. Rick Peeperkorn, to millions of social media users using the hashtag to the point of trending on platforms such as Twitter, Tiktok, and Instagram. Regardless of background, people unite in their concern for the atrocities that have emerged, and will further result as the Israeli-Palestinian war drags on and fails to come to a ceasefire.
Rafah is located at the south of the Gaza strip and is currently the sole border out of Gaza and into Egypt. There were two other border crossings other than Rafah - Erez, a border crossing to Israel in the northern part of Gaza, which is used by people, and there’s Kerem Shalom, which is located in Southern Gaza and is used for commercial goods junction with Israel. Both of these borders, however, have been shut in response to the attacks launched by Hamas.
On May 7th, 2024, the Israeli army seized and closed the Rafah border crossing, effectively cutting off Gaza’s only entry point for humanitarian aid and relief operations. This blockade prevents lifesaving assistance and basic services from reaching vulnerable people in Gaza, even with officials warning of famine spreading further as Israel continues its assault on the city.
Figures from the U.N as of May 2, 2024 states that 1.1 million Gazans, which is half the population, already faces a catastrophic food insecurity, with 1 in 3 children suffering from acute malnutrition. Cindy McCain, the head of the World Food Program, has also stated two days later that while there is no official declaration, the threat of famine still looms large as it continues to spread from Northern Gaza and is making its way into the south, with Gazans having dangerously low access to food, medicine, shelter, and other essentials as the war rages on.
“All Eyes on Rafah” reminds the people that we must not turn away from the continued suffering in Gaza and the deteriorating situation that the city has been plunged into by the ongoing war. The phrase emphasizes the pressing need for the world to pay attention to the crisis, keep raising awareness, and pushing for action to help alleviate the hardships that civilians are already facing. With the Israeli-Palestinian conflict currently in its eighth month, people are calling for all eyes to be on Rafah, they are asked to raise their voices to put pressure on governments and world leaders from both sides to take action and work towards a ceasefire that will end this prolonged violence.
