From the Liveblog of
Sunday, August 23, 2026
Former Labor party head Yachimovich reveals cancer diagnosis
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Former Labor party head and opposition leader Shelly Yachimovich announces that she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer late last year and is undergoing regular chemotherapy.
Yachimovich, who led Labor from 2011 to 2013, retired from politics in 2019.
“Eight months ago, my life suddenly changed. A cancerous tumor was found in my pancreas. Luckily, I was diagnosed early, without metastases, and had surgery right away. Since then, the CT scan has shown for the third time that the removed tumor hasn’t returned and that there are no signs of recurrence,” Yachimovich posts on Facebook. “But pancreatic cancer is a sneaky bastard that needs to be attacked on all fronts, which is why I’m going through pretty tough chemotherapy once every two weeks.”
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