In March 2026, social media users claimed images and videos showed artificial intelligence-generated depictions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivering an Iran War speech. The users claimed there were six fingers on his right hand, one of many potential signs that an image was generated using AI.
The images and videos supposedly proved Israeli officials used AI to hide that Netanyahu had died during an Iranian missile attack.
In short, this rumor was false. The images and video clips did not show an AI-generated version of Netanyahu boasting six fingers on his right (or left) hand.
A closer look at the Israeli Government Press Office's original video (0:34 and 0:54 marks) featured five fingers on each hand, not six. Snopes reported on March 12 that, despite internet rumors, no credible evidence suggested Netanyahu was dead.
Where the Netanyahu rumor spread
In one prime example of the rumor circulating online, on March 12, an X user posted (archived), "Last time I checked, humans usually dont have 6 fingers…. AI does. Is Netenyahu no more?"
On March 13, an Instagram user cross-posting with an account offering Iranian military news posted, "The latest video released by the government itself shows that it was AI generated because Netanyahu has 6 fingers. The question now is whether Netanyahu is just hiding, has been killed, or is seriously injured."
Users shared screenshots and video clips furthering the Netanyahu claim on Bluesky (archived), Facebook (archived), Instagram, Threads (archived), TikTok (archived), X (archived) and YouTube (archived).
A user managing @eye.on.palestine, an Instagram account with 13.5 million followers, also reposted the rumor, then later removed it. The post's caption originally read, "Six fingers and technical glitches … Netanyahu's latest video raises suspicions: Is it real or AI-generated? And what are they trying to hide regarding his whereabouts?"
We privately messaged the user to ask about the post removal and will update this article if we receive further information.
Examining the original video
The Israeli Government Press Office published Netanyahu's Iran war speech video online on March 12. At the 0:34 mark, Netanyahu points with his right hand. A close examination shows five fingers, not six. Users visually mistook his hand's hypothenar eminence — the name for the bulge at the base of a human little finger — for a sixth finger.
The 0:54 mark in the speech video showed the purported technical glitches the @eye.on.palestine user referenced involving Netanyahu's left hand, in which he seemed to make a clawlike gesture with his left hand. The Getty Images media-licensing website hosted photos showing Netanyahu making very similar gestures with his left hand in the past.
For good measure, we scanned the in-question part of the video with an AI and deepfake detection tool that found a 0.1% likelihood that it was AI-generated.
For further reading, we previously reported about a claim alleging Russian President Vladimir Putin posted that Netanyahu died in an airstrike.