Headlines The viral claim also suggested that a post confirming Netanyahu’s death had been deleted from the official Israeli Prime Minister’s account on X. Investigations, however, found no evidence that such a message was ever posted or removed. Rumours claiming that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had died spread rapidly on social media over the past 24 hours, triggered by a viral video clip that appeared to show the leader with six fingers on one hand. The claim began trending on X after users shared a screenshot from a press conference video he held on March 12, arguing that the unusual hand image suggested the footage had been generated using artificial intelligence. Some posts went further, alleging that Netanyahu had died during the ongoing tensions involving Israel, the United States and Iran, and that an official message announcing his death had been quietly deleted. However, multiple fact-checks have since debunked the claims. Analysts and online verification tools said the viral screenshot was taken from a single frame of a video address, where Netanyahu was pointing with his hand while speaking. The angle of the hand, combined with shadows and visual distortion in the frame, created the illusion of an extra finger. Fact-checkers said the full video clearly shows the Israeli leader has five fingers on each hand. The viral claim also suggested that a post confirming Netanyahu’s death had been deleted from the official Israeli Prime Minister’s account on X. Investigations, however, found no evidence that such a message was ever posted or removed. Even the AI chatbot Grok responded to the circulating claims, noting that no tweet announcing Netanyahu’s death existed on the official account and that the screenshot used in the posts was fabricated. The rumours also drew momentum from unrelated speculation surrounding a press conference appearance by Scott Bessent. A video showing him briefly leaving the podium to take a phone call prompted online commentators to suggest he had received news about Netanyahu’s death. Those claims, however, were also dismissed as speculation with no supporting evidence. Experts say the confusion highlights how easily misleading visuals can fuel misinformation online. Generative AI tools have previously produced images with distorted hands or extra fingers, making such features a common trigger for suspicion when unusual images circulate on social media. In this case, fact-checkers concluded that the viral image was not an AI error but a misleading still frame taken out of context. Despite the online frenzy, there is no credible evidence that Benjamin Netanyahu has died, and the claims circulating online have been widely classified as misinformation.