At least 45 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in Gaza’s Rafah on Sunday, prompting global outrage against the Netanyahu government. Soon after, multiple social media users, including celebrities, shared an image displaying the words “All eyes on Rafah,” in solidarity with the victims of the airstrike. While the trend gained momentum on social media, several Indian celebrities received backlash for posting the viral image.

Against this backdrop, an alleged screengrab of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Instagram story stating “All Eyes on PoK” has gone viral online. However, Newschecker found that the image was fabricated and that there was no evidence to show that the PM had posted any such story.

As the BJP eyes its third term at the centre, multiple top leaders of the party have vouched for the integration of PoK- Pakistan Occupied Kashmir with India if voted to power. In a recent rally, Home Minister Amit Shah affirmed that PoK is a part of India, and “we will take it back.”

Fact Check/Verification

We skimmed through the social media accounts of the Prime Minister but did not spot the widely circulated image.

On a close look at the alleged screengrab from PM Modi’s Instagram story, we noticed that the template was used 12.4 million times on the platform. However, we did not spot any such template listed on Instagram.

No News Reports On PM Modi’s Alleged Instagram Story

A keyword search for “All Eyes On PoK,” and “PM Modi” did not yield any credible news reports suggesting that such an image was shared on Narendra Modi’s social media profile. The image, if authentic, would have been a major news event, prompting strong reactions by the opposition.

The government’s PIB and DD News did not report on any such story by the PM as well.

While there is no mention of any such post by PM Modi in the media, YouTuber Elvish Yadav is making the headlines for posting an image saying “All eyes on PoK.” “The popular YouTuber, known for his strong views on Hinduism, has now taken to social media to oppose the ‘All eyes on Rafah’ trend. Instead, he shared a similar template with the caption ‘All eyes on POK,’ referring to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir,” reported Times of India.

Tracing The Origins

A Google lens search on the viral image led us to multiple posts by meme handles sharing the alleged screenshot of the PM’s Instagram story.

The phrases “All eyes on PoK,” and “Narendra Modi” were first found on X in the comment section of a post by @Incognito_qfs at 10:09 PM on May 28. 

The image was likely created by X user @Incognito_qfs taking inspiration from a comment on his post “calling out celebrities” by sharing the “All eyes on Rafah” image.

The image was also shared on the Instagram handle of @Incognito_qfs later on May 29. We also spotted another image based on the same template on the Instagram account. It showed a fabricated screengrab from Rahul Gandhi’s story, stating “All eyes on Thailand.”

‘All Eyes On Rafah’ Template Distorted Repeatedly On Social Media

As the ‘All Eyes on Rafah” trend created a buzz on social media platforms, we noticed several Indian users sharing altered versions of the original template introduced in solidarity with the victims of Rafah.  While some modified it to show “All eyes on PoK,” others linked it to “Kashi,” “Mathura” and even “Modi 3.0”.

Conclusion
We could thus conclude that the viral image claiming to show PM Modi’s Instagram story is fabricated. There is no evidence to suggest that the PM posted any image saying “All eyes on PoK.”

Result: False

(This story was originally published by NewsChecker, and republished by NDTV as part of the Shakti Collective.)

Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma’s wife Ritika Sajdeh was among those who shared the “All Eyes On Rafah” image in her Instagram Stories. The social media campaign, calling for attention to what’s happening in Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip, gained momentum after Israeli strikes on Sunday night killed 45 Palestinians at a camp.  

While Ms Sajdeh deleted the post within hours, several users accused her of being “selective” in speaking against oppression and atrocities. 

People have dropped comments on Ms Sajdeh’s birthday post for Rohit Sharma. The India opener turned 37 on April 30.

A person wrote, “Kyun madam? Palestinians se itni humdardi kyu (Why such sympathy with Palestinians, Madam?).”

“As a Rohit Sharma fan … I’m ashamed of you,” said another user.

However, there were a handful of people who lauded Ms Sajdeh for supporting Palestine.

“My respect for Hitman and you after the story,” read a comment.

A user said, “Thank you for supporting Palestine.”

“Respect for Rohit Sharma and his wife” was the sentiment online. 

What Is “All Eyes On Rafah” campaign

Celebs, human rights groups and common men and women have been sharing the “All Eyes On Rafah” image on their social media platforms to raise awareness about the ongoing Israeli onslaught in Gaza. On Monday, after the latest Israeli strikes killed 45 Palestinians at a tent camp, Bollywood celebs, including some A-listers, shared what’s become a global image now.

Among those who extended solidarity with the people of Palestine were Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Triptii Dimri, Samantha Prabhu, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Swara Bhasker, and Dia Mirza, among others.

Among international figures, Australian cricketer Travis Head, British singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock, model Bella Hadid and actresses Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Susan Sarandon also drew attention to Rafah, where roughly 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge after fleeing Israeli bombings from other parts of Gaza.