Netanyahu Uses AI-Generated Video in Israeli Election Campaign
Source reports published 19 Oct 2026, 6:26 pm – 20 Oct 2026, 10:00 am AEST
Gadi Eisenkot was featured in an AI-generated video mocking Gaza destruction, while Itamar Ben-Gvir shared a video depicting Palestinians on a conveyor belt. Political parties are utilizing AI across all aspects of their campaigns.
What happened
- Gadi Eisenkot, a candidate for prime minister, appeared in a 19-second video posted to X. The video depicted him running toward a person resembling his son, wearing a shirt with "Israeli Unity," and then embracing Mansour Abbas.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s account posted the clip.
- According to Ze Be AI, a research project of the Open University of Israel, this clip was one of more than 1,800 AI-generated posts released by Netanyahu’s Likud party throughout the election campaign by mid-October, representing approximately a quarter of the party’s social media material.
- Itamar Ben-Gvir shared an AI-generated video depicting Palestinians being wheeled on a conveyor belt into what looks like a concentration camp, drawing widespread condemnation.
- The election authority ordered Smotrich to take down an unlabeled AI video deemed misleading.
- Political parties are deploying AI across all aspects of campaigning.
Original reporting
- Deutsche Welle: Deepfakes, bots and distrust: AI and Israel's election
2026-10-19T08:26:59.474000+00:00 - Al Jazeera: Ben-Gvir mocks Gaza destruction in AI-generated video
2026-10-20T00:00:00+00:00