‘I am dead … for coffee’: Israeli PM Netanyahu posts his video amid speculation about his death

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement at the Palmachim Air Force Base near the city of Rishon Lezion, Israel on July 5, 2023. — AFP/ File

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A video posted on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s X account is being seen as his response to the rumours of his death, which were earlier debunked by his office.

The video was posted on Sunday evening, in which Netanyahu is seen getting himself a coffee and being asked about the rumours, Israeli news website Jerusalem Post reported.

The post also had a caption stating: “They say I am what?”

During the conversation taking place in what appears to be Hebrew, Jerusalem Post quoted Netanyahu as saying: “I love … coffee, I love my nation.” The report further elaborated that he also used the Hebrew slang word “met” during the conversation, which, according to Jerusalem Post, means “love” and is also the Hebrew word for “dead”.

To simplify, his remarks could be translated to: “I am dead … for coffee.”

According to Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu also asked the person filming him whether they wanted to count his fingers, seemingly mocking people speculating that a recent video of his was AI-generated and that he may be dead.

He raised “both hands to the camera, directly responding to online theorists who’ve circulated the rumor that a Friday video published on his X account was AI-generated and allegedly showed him with six fingers”, the report said.

Earlier, Netanyahu’s office also dismissed social media claims that suggested he had been killed in an Iranian response to US and Israeli strikes.

An Anadolu Agency correspondent asked the office if they had a statement on increasing claims on social media that “Netanyahu has been assassinated”.

“These are fake news; the prime minister is fine,” the office replied.

The rumours were fuelled by several social media users speculating about his death, saying that he had missed a war council meeting in recent days.

Moreover, some even referred to a video of Netanyahu’s address — which was shared on his X account — saying that he seemed to have six fingers in the clip and speculating about his death.

The speculation has come against the backdrop of an ongoing war in the Middle East, which began with the US and Israel launching deadly attacks on Iran on February 28. The same day, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei was also assassinated in a US-Israeli strike.

Earlier today, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards vowed to target Netanyahu. “If this child-killing criminal is alive, we will continue to pursue and kill him with full force,” said the Guards on their website Sepah News.