One image, millions of eyeballs: A social media effort to draw attention to Rafah surges

By VERDA SUBZWARI
Associated Press

A single image, not even an authentic photograph, is the focus of a singular campaign on Instagram. It has caught the attention of the algorithm and captured the imaginations of users across national borders, and it’s a show of support for the Palestinian movement as the war between Israel and Hamas enters its eighth month. The simple AI-generated image was created and first shared by a Malaysia-based Instagram user and has gone viral on the social media platform. The message attempts to call attention to the small southern city of Rafah after Israeli airstrikes killed at least 37 people in a camp for displaced Palestinians.