Netanyahu attempting to dispel death rumors fueled by AI paranoia

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the subject of a widely debunked but continuing claim that he is dead, a particularly high-profile example of the murky and extremely tense information environment created by the mix of AI and social media.

Social media users began speculating about the Israeli leader’s well-being after footage of a recent televised speech began circulating online last week, in which Netanyahu provided an update on the war in Iran.

Some viewers suggested the video was generated by AI, noting that at one point Netanyahu’s hand appears to have six fingers, a common artifact of generative artificial intelligence. Screenshots of his hand have become widespread on platforms like X.

The fact-checking site PolitiFact deemed the six-finger claims false, writing that “a lighting effect likely made part of his palm appear as an extra finger.”

But unsubstantiated rumors about Netanyahu’s death continued to spread, with TikTokers and meme accounts analyzing subsequent posts from his account.

Netanyahu, 76, has made few announced public appearances since the start of the war, as Iran has vowed to target him personally in retaliation for the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Mojtaba Khamenei, Ali Khamenei’s son and Iran’s new supreme leader, has also not been seen in public since the United States began its war against the country and has also been the subject of speculation about his health.

Although there is no indication that Netanyahu is currently ill, his health has also weighed on Israeli politics in the past, with his emergency heart surgery to install a pacemaker in 2023, as well as a prostate removal operation in 2024.

Netanyahu first tried to put the rumors to rest on Sunday by posting a video of himself having coffee at a Jerusalem cafe, joking in the clip: “I’m dying for coffee.”

Despite the proof of life attempt, users continued to analyze every frame of this video for signs of possible AI manipulation.

The confusion around AI content comes as many social media platforms, which pay creators for engagement, have incentivized users to recycle old photos and videos to increase emotion around viral news moments. Experts say the conflation of misinformation creates further erosion of online trust, especially when mixed with authentic evidence.

Speculation about the health of world leaders has also become relatively common online, with some social media users theorizing last year that President Donald Trump had health problems due to some signs of physical problems seen in photos and videos and a brief period in which he was not seen in public. Trump has denied these rumors.

On Tuesday, Netanyahu released a video with Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, again referencing the ongoing speculation.

In the video, Huckabee is seen walking with Netanyahu as he tells the prime minister that President Donald Trump asked him to “come make sure you’re okay.”

“Yes, I am alive,” Netanyahu replied in the video. He noted that he and Trump “shake hands with five fingers on each hand,” before praising his military operations and the support of the US government.

Netanyahu then showed Huckabee a “punch card” depicting two names he “erased,” and others he plans to target — referring to Israel’s announcement that it had killed the Islamic Republic’s top security official, Ali Larijani, and the leader of its Basij force, Gholam Reza Soleimani. Iranian authorities later confirmed their deaths.

Huckabee then posted his own post, which included an image of him posing with the Israeli leader.

“He really looked alive and was in good spirits,” Huckabee wrote. “Any news to the contrary? It’s as bogus as a kosher pork chop.”