What actually happened:
The Israeli Prime Minister posted a video of himself drinking coffee at a café in Jerusalem to respond to rumours that he had been killed.
Some social media users claimed the clip was AI-generated or a deepfake, partly because people thought his hand looked like it had six fingers.
An AI chatbot (Grok) also suggested the video might be a deepfake, which increased speculation online.
But fact-checks say:
Journalists verified the location and timing of the video at the café, supporting that it was genuine footage.
The café even shared photos confirming he was there.
Netanyahu later showed five fingers on camera to mock the deepfake rumours.
Conclusion:
The viral coffee video is widely believed to be real, not AI.
The AI/deepfake claims mainly came from social media speculation and misinterpretations.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government has dismissed claims that a viral video showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drinking coffee at a café was generated using artificial intelligence, describing the speculation as misinformation circulating online.
The short clip surfaced on social media after rumours spread that the Israeli leader had died. In the video, Netanyahu is seen sitting casually at a café in Jerusalem while sipping coffee, apparently responding to the widespread claims about his alleged death.
The video quickly went viral, but some social media users questioned its authenticity, suggesting it could be an AI-generated deepfake. The speculation intensified after viewers claimed the footage showed unusual hand movements, which some interpreted as a common sign of AI manipulation.
However, officials and witnesses have pushed back against the claims, insisting the footage is genuine. Reports indicate the clip was recorded at a café in Jerusalem, where staff and patrons confirmed the Israeli prime minister’s presence.
The café also reportedly released additional photos of Netanyahu taken during the visit, further supporting the claim that the video was real.
Netanyahu later mocked the rumours in another clip, raising his hand and clearly showing five fingers while joking about the online claims that the earlier footage had been artificially generated.
The incident highlights the growing challenge of misinformation in the digital age, as advances in artificial intelligence have made it increasingly difficult for the public to distinguish between authentic footage and manipulated content.
The rumours about Netanyahu’s death circulated widely on several social media platforms before the prime minister appeared publicly, effectively debunking the claims
