Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quietly underwent treatment for prostate cancer, he said Friday, as he publicized the results of his annual medical examination.
Netanyahu, 76, said he delayed the release of his annual medical report – which revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer for the first time – by two months so that it wouldn’t be used as propaganda by Iran.
The longest-serving leader in Israel’s history underwent surgery for an enlarged prostate in December 2024, an operation the Prime Minister’s Office disclosed publicly at the time. In the latest check-up following the surgery, Netanyahu revealed in a statement on social media that doctors discovered a malignant tumor in his prostate of less than a centimeter.
The Prime Minister’s Office also released two letters from his doctors to accompany the revelation on social media. “This is an early detection of a very small lesions, with no metastases, as all other tests confirmed beyond any doubt,” one letter said.
He does not reveal when the last check was, but an Israeli source familiar with the matter said that the cancer was diagnosed several months ago. Netanyahu began undergoing radiation therapy about two and a half months ago, according to the source, and had recently completed the treatment.
Netanyahu says he made the decision to undergo targeted radiation therapy and “the spot disappeared completely.”
“Thank God, I am healthy,” Netanyahu said on social media. “I had a minor medical issue with my prostate that was completely treated.”
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister has undergone several surgeries during his time in office.
In July 2023, Netanyahu was fitted with a pacemaker after he was urgently admitted to the hospital because of what doctors said was a “transient heart block.” One week earlier, doctors said he had a “fainting episode,” though his office only said he had experienced dizziness. Since he was sedated for the operation to insert the pacemaker, he appointed a minister to temporarily take his place.
In March 2024, Netanyahu underwent surgery to treat a hernia. He had a similar surgery 11 years earlier.
The premier includes the information in a lengthy statement on social media that accompanies the release of his annual health assessment.
Prof. Aron Popovtzer, Director of the Sharett Oncology Institute at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center, where the prime minister underwent the treatment, gives more specifics:
The tumor was discovered “a few months ago,” Netanyahu was given radiation therapy “two and a half months ago,” and checks “after two and a half months” — apparently recently, according to the doctor’s timeline — showed the “disease has disappeared,” Popovtzer says in a video statement. He notes that Netanyahu continues to undergo routine checkups.
Besides the tumor — which Netanyahu says was successfully treated — the assessment finds the 76-year-old premier to be in good health, with all blood tests and physical fitness tests coming back normal.
The assessment also notes that Netanyahu’s heart is in good health and there have been no issues since he had a pacemaker implanted in July 2023.
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