Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday (local time) said that he has undergone treatment for prostate cancer, making it his first public acknowledgement of the diagnosis, AP reported.
Netanyahu said that nearly a year and a half ago, he had prostate surgery, and nearly two and a half months ago, his doctors found and treated a small tumor at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital with radiation therapy. That was not announced at the time.
Commenting about the tumor, he said, “I requested to delay its publication by two months so that it would not be released at the height of the war” against Iran, to prevent “more false propaganda against Israel.” Terming the tumor a “minor medical issue,” Netanyahu said that he was healthy now.
Netanyahu shared his health update on X and wrote, “When I’m given information in time about a potential danger, I want to address it immediately. This is true on the national level and also on the personal level. That’s what I did. I underwent targeted treatment that removed the problem and left no trace of it. I went to a few short treatments, read a book, and continued working.”
Netanyahu’s health was a subject during the Iran war
The Israeli PM’s health became a subject of speculation during the early weeks of the war with Iran after fake and artificial intelligence (AI)-generated images started circulating online, suggesting that he had died, including on Iranian state media.
Aharon Popovtser, the director of Hadassah Hospital’s oncology unit, said Netanyahu was diagnosed at an early stage, noting that prostate cancer is common among men his age. Popovtser said, “We can say based on the findings of these tests that the disease has disappeared.”
Tel Aviv’s longest-serving prime minister, who is overseeing not just the Iran war but also conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, has faced criticism for not revealing information about his health. This includes when he told the public that he had a pacemaker implanted to address a long-standing heart condition, a week after he fainted at a public appearance.
This is a developing story. More details awaited.
