Benjamin Netanyahu publishes an AI-generated image of an atomic bomb over Tel Aviv and warns of a “second Holocaust” ahead of the election

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published on Sunday, October 25, an AI-generated image in which an atomic bomb appears to be falling on the city of Tel Aviv. The message was distributed two days before Israel’s parliamentary elections, conveying the warning that choosing another candidate could endanger the Israeli population through the risk of a “second Holocaust,” The Times of Israel reports.

The image and accompanying text convey that internal political disputes are insignificant compared with the threat posed by Tehran. The message claims that, if Iran were to obtain nuclear weapons, all of Israel’s other problems would become secondary.

The publication prompted strong reactions from the opposition. Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party, accused Netanyahu of trying to provoke panic among voters and influence Tuesday’s vote, October 27.

The elections are the first held since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. The polls cited in the article place Netanyahu behind his rival, Gadi Eisenkot. Meanwhile, at least 53,000 Israelis from the diaspora are expected to return to the country to vote, many of them saying they want to contribute to changing the government.

The election campaign is also marked by criticism of the war in Gaza, settler violence in the West Bank, and the exemption of ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service. The mobilization of the diaspora, described as unprecedented, has also sparked a legal dispute over funding travel for voters.