Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have his prostate removed on Sunday, his office said. This intervention comes as he deals with multiple crises simultaneously, including the ongoing war in Gaza and his own trial for alleged corruption.
Netanyahu, 75, is one of a cohort of older world leaders, including those of the United States President Joe Biden82, and President-elect Donald Trump, 78, whose health and physical fitness are under intense scrutiny at home and abroad because of their advanced age and the impact it could have on their leadership.
The Israeli prime minister, who has struggled with a series of health problems in recent years, has gone to great lengths to bolster the public image of himself as a healthy, energetic leader. During his trial this month, he bragged about working 18-hour days.
But as Israel’s longest-serving leader, such a grueling workload could also take its toll in a total of 17 years in power.
Because of the prostration procedure, Netanyahu’s lawyer Amit Hadad said in a letter to the court that the Israeli prime minister would be fully sedated and remain in the hospital for “a few days,” and asked that his testimony this week be postponed to three days. The court agreed.
With so much at stake in the turbulent region, Netanyahu’s office said Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a close ally, would serve as acting prime minister during the proceedings.
According to Netanyahu’s office, the Israeli leader was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection on Wednesday caused by a benign enlargement of his prostate. The infection was successfully treated with antibiotics, but Sunday’s procedure will remove his prostate, likely using endoscopic surgery, Dr. Shay Golan, head of the oncology urology service at Israel’s Rabin Medical Center, told Israeli Army Radio.
Netanyahu insists he is in excellent health, and his office has worked to create a public image that backs that up – releasing footage of him traveling through war zones in full protective gear.
But he has had several previous health problems, including a heart condition that caused him to faint and a pacemaker to control his heartbeat.
This news in July 2023 came at a time when Netanyahu was struggling with massive anti-government protests on a plan to overhaul the justice system. Last year he was also hospitalized for what doctors said was likely dehydration, where he remained overnight, leading to his weekly Cabinet meeting being postponed.
Earlier this year, Netanyahu underwent a hernia operation that left him unconscious under general anesthesia. At the time, his justice minister, Levin, was acting as acting prime minister during the operation.
Netanyahu will be in hospital at a time when international mediators are also present Urge Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, as violence continues there and fighting escalates between Israel and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
