Misinformation Alert: Viral 'Fake Blood' Photo of Arsen Ostrovsky Falsely Linked to Bondi Attack
It's not enough that Arsen Ostrovsky was nearly murdered on Bondi Beach yesterday. Now, baseless claims that he invented the whole thing have gone viral, denying the antisemitic terrorist attack, which killed at least 15 people and injured dozens.
As Australia mourns the victims of the deadly terrorist attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, false claims and fabricated images are spreading online, targeting one of the survivors: international human rights lawyer and pro-Israel advocate Arsen Ostrovsky.
A viral photo circulating on social media shows a man smiling while a woman applies what appears to be theatrical fake blood to his face, often in an outdoor setting near vehicles. Conspiracy accounts falsely claim this depicts Ostrovsky staging his injuries with makeup for media interviews, suggesting the attack was "hoaxed."
Although the man in the photo does resemble Ostrovsky, the scene matches unrelated theatrical or film makeup sessions, with visible inconsistencies like distorted text (on his t-shirt) and artifacts in some versions, including a strange ear, typicla of AI-generated images.
In reality, Ostrovsky, a recent arrival from Israel heading the Sydney office of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Counci, was grazed by a bullet in the head during the December 14 attack. He gave interviews at the scene while bloodied and bandaged, describing the horror as an "absolute bloodbath" and comparing it to the October 7, 2023, attacks he experienced in Israel.
Doctors confirmed his wound was life-threateningly close, calling his survival a "miracle." Ostrovsky was hospitalized and later posted updates from recovery, including lighting a Hanukkah candle in defiance.
Australian authorities and major outlets have verified Ostrovsky's account and injuries through eyewitness footage and medical confirmation. However, sadly, many people choose to believe the anti-Israel, antisemitic propaganda after two years after being fed tens of thousands of images like this.