Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly responded to a wave of rumours spreading online about his health and even his death, releasing a video that directly mocks the claims.
The rumours had been circulating on social media platforms, with some posts suggesting that Netanyahu was dead. Alongside those messages, another claim gained traction online, alleging that the prime minister had “six fingers.”
In the video posted by Netanyahu, he appeared to address both threads of misinformation at once. He mocked the death rumours and also responded to the unusual allegation about his hand by showing his fingers on camera, indicating he has five.
The clip was positioned as a rebuttal to what had been “doing the round” on social media, according to reports. By appearing on video and visually showing his hand, the prime minister sought to counter the claims in a direct and easily shareable way, matching the format in which the rumours had spread.
False reports about public figures can move quickly online, often amplified through reposts, screenshots, and short video snippets. In this instance, the rumours included both a serious assertion about Netanyahu’s death and a separate visual claim involving the number of fingers on his hand, which he appeared to treat as part of the same misinformation cycle.
The Times of India reported that Netanyahu’s video addressed the death rumours and the “six fingers” claim, and that he mocked the allegations while holding up his hand to show five fingers.
Netanyahu’s response comes as political leaders around the world increasingly use social media and short-form video to counter viral narratives about them. The prime minister’s approach in this case was to deny the claims through a brief on-camera appearance rather than through a written statement.
No further details were provided in the report about the origin of the rumours or which platforms first carried the claims. The video, however, was presented as a clear attempt to shut down the speculation by showing proof of life and by visually refuting the hand-related allegation.