Netanyahu has bronchitis, PM’s office says; hostages’ doctor slams him for visiting hospital last night

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is suffering from bronchitis, says his office, adding that it “poses no danger to him or those around him.”

Netanyahu canceled his schedule for the day and is at home resting, says the Prime Minister’s Office in an announcement.

Netanyahu visited freed hostages recuperating at Rabin Medical Center last night. Prof. Hagai Levine, doctor for the Hostage Families Forum, criticizes the visit after Netanyahu discussed his illness in court. “If Netanyahu has a cold that refuses to subside, as he claimed today in court, why did he visit yesterday survivors of captivity with weakened immune systems and put them at risk?” Levine writes on X.

Netanyahu, 75, has battled health issues in recent years. He had his prostate removed in late December, and in March 2024, he had hernia surgery. That same month, he missed several days of work after contracting the flu.

In 2023, he underwent surgery to have a pacemaker installed after suffering a transient heart block. A week earlier, he had been hospitalized for what he said at the time was dehydration. Doctors subsequently revealed that the prime minister has had a heart conduction problem for years.