WHAT WAS CLAIMED
A photo shows Jeffrey Epstein alive in Israel in 2026.
OUR VERDICT
False. The image was generated using artificial intelligence.
AAP FACTCHECK - Jeffrey Epstein has not been photographed alive in Israel, despite claims online.
The claim is based on an image generated using artificial intelligence.
Conspiracy theories about Epstein have spread online since he died in what was ruled a suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while facing sex trafficking charges.
This latest false claim is being shared after the US Justice Department released millions of internal documents related to Epstein.
The documents have shed light on his ties to many prominent people - both before and after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution charges, including soliciting an underage girl.
A Facebook post from an Australian user shares a purported image of the financier, apparently alive in Israel, with shoulder-length hair, a grey beard, and sunglasses, flanked by two men in dark jackets and jeans.
"This photo is circulating of xxx in Israel. If you add age from 2019 to now - that definitely is him. But he's probably in a secret bunker now. Never find him," the caption reads.
However, it is not a real photo.
A Google reverse image search shows that an uncropped version of the same image was earlier posted on a Reddit thread called "r/hardaiimages" on February 1, 2026, where the user acknowledged it was created using AI.
When the uncropped version of the image is uploaded to Google Images, the "About this image" feature identifies it as "Made with Google AI" as it contains a "Synth ID watermark".
The original Reddit image also shows other signs of AI-generated content, such as a green signal at the top rather than the bottom of the traffic light in the background.
A Hebrew road sign contains the English translation "Tel Aviv", but the original translates to gibberish.
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