Netanyahu mocks conspiracy theories about his supposed death in new video

Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the National Health Command Center, March 9, 2026. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the National Health Command Center, March 9, 2026. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

After conspiracy theories spread across social media that he had been killed in an Iranian strike, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu releases a video mocking the rumor.

Ordering coffee at a cafe, he says “I am dead… for coffee,” using a common Hebrew phrase that roughly translates to loving something to death.

“I love my nation to death,” he says, “and how they are conducting themselves.”

He also holds up both hands to show that he has 10 fingers, after rumors that his televised Thursday press conference was an AI version of him. One of the false claims on anti-Israel social media accounts was that the footage from the press conference showed him with six fingers on one hand.

Netanyahu says that Israelis should leave their homes for a breath of fresh air, but remain near shelters. He also promises that government restrictions on activity will be lifted as much as possible.

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