Rumours circulating on social media claiming that Benjamin Netanyahu is dead or appeared with “six fingers” in a viral video have been proven false by fact-checkers and official sources.
The claims began spreading online after a video of the Israel prime minister addressing the nation during the ongoing conflict involving Israel, the United States and Iran.
Some social media users shared screenshots from the video and claimed the Israeli leader had six fingers, suggesting the clip was created using artificial intelligence. Others posted rumours that Netanyahu had died during the conflict.
However, fact-checks and official statements confirmed that the claims were false. Analysts said the image showing six fingers was caused by camera angle and visual distortion in a single frame taken from the press conference video.
A viral post on the social media platform X also claimed that the Israeli prime minister had died and that a message confirming his death had been deleted from his official account.
Fact-checkers found the screenshot used in the claim was fabricated. No such message existed on the prime minister’s official account.
The AI chatbot Grok also responded to the claim, saying the screenshot did not appear on Netanyahu’s account and confirming that the Israeli leader had not deleted any such message.
The rumours gained attention amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. During the conflict, Israel and the United States have carried out strikes targeting Iranian leadership.
Reports indicated that former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed earlier, after which his son Mojtaba Khamenei was reported to have taken over leadership in Iran.
Speculation about Netanyahu’s safety also increased after a video showed Scott Bessent briefly leaving a press conference to answer a phone call. Some commentators online linked the moment to rumours about Netanyahu’s death, but the claim was purely speculative and no official confirmation supported it.
The “six fingers” claim came from a zoomed-in screenshot of Netanyahu pointing during a speech. Social media posts highlighted the image with circles and arrows, suggesting it showed an artificial intelligence glitch.
Experts explained that generative AI sometimes produces images with distorted hands or extra fingers, which led to speculation. However, verification tools and analysts concluded that the image was simply an optical illusion created by the camera angle.
Netanyahu himself appeared to dismiss the rumours. In a video posted on his Telegram account, he was seen sitting at a café on the outskirts of Jerusalem and joking about the claims while drinking coffee.
“I’m crazy about coffee. You know what? I’m crazy about my people,” he said in response to questions about the rumours.
The video location was verified using earlier images of the café. Since the start of the conflict on 28 February, Netanyahu has continued visiting towns hit by Iranian missiles, as well as hospitals, ports and military bases.
His office has repeatedly rejected claims from Iranian sources suggesting attacks on him or his family, calling them false reports.
Officials confirmed that Netanyahu remains alive, active and continuing his duties as Israel’s prime minister.
