Fact Check: Is photo showing Benjamin Netanyahu hospitalized with COVID-19 real? Rumors debunked

Benjamin Netanyahu's followers were worried after a picture featuring him went viral on various social media platforms. The photo reportedly shows the prime minister of Israel on a hospital bed with a mask on his face. He was surrounded by a few other people.

The post was allegedly shared on March 3, 2024, by the official page of the news portal SilencedSirs on X (Twitter). The caption stated:

"Urgent Update: Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu is reportedly in a grave condition after contracting a severe mutated strain of the coronavirus. The situation is said to be critically serious."

The news of the hospitalization was not confirmed by any representative of Netanyahu, and there was a "readers added context" below the tweet, which stated:

"This image has been digitally altered. The original photograph shows Sara Netanyahu comforting Adelle Banita Bennett, who had been injured in a "terror attack", not Benjamin Netanyahu."

---

Benjamin Netanyahu's hospitalization news was revealed to be false: Details explored

The reports of Benjamin Netanyahu's hospitalization were not believed by a majority of the people. SilencedSirs wrote in the comments section of the post that the photo was old and Benjamin was "very sick."

However, netizens questioned the authenticity of the news, and another person asked the source of information. There was a third person who directly claimed that the news was "fake." While a few people were addressing his controversies over the years, it was eventually disclosed that the news was not true.

The translated Facebook post (Image via Benjamin Netanyahu/Facebook)

The picture was taken from a Facebook post shared in 2015 by Benjamin. The post, when translated to English, reads that Benjamin's wife Sarah went to visit two Jerusalem terror attack victims, Adel Bennett and her son Nathan.

Benjamin wrote that Sarah promised the victims to provide all kinds of help from the state and mentioned what Sarah told him about her experience. According to Benjamin, Sarah described Adele as "extraordinary" and offered her some support while the woman was going through a tough phase. She added:

"It is impossible to define in human terms the evil and cruelty of those who were there, who stood full of deep hatred. This is murder, this is slaughter. Each and every one on the same street that abused her, laughed at her and kicked her, or drank a can of Coke in front of this horror – each and every one of them is the lowest murderer that can be."

Meanwhile, Benjamin has not addressed the rumors of his hospitalization.