Netanyahu recovering after successful prostate removal surgery
PM awake and 'in good condition,' moved to underground, fortified recovery ward at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem; urology department head says no suspicion of malignancy or cancer
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was awake and recovering after a successful prostate removal surgery at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, his office said in a statement late Sunday evening, adding that the premier had been moved to an underground, fortified recovery ward.
“The surgery ended successfully without complications,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. “The prime minister has woken up, is in good condition and is completely conscious.”
He is expected to spend several days under observation in the fortified recovery ward, amid fears he could be targeted by rocket or missile fire during the ongoing war.
The prime minister was under full anesthesia for the procedure, which his office said was scheduled after doctors discovered an infection in his urinary tract resulting from a benign enlargement of the prostate.
In a separate statement from the hospital, urology department head Prof. Ofer Gofrit said that the procedure “went as planned.”
In a video statement, along with Hadassah coleagues, Gofrit also said “There is no suspicion of malignancy or cancer.”
The statement from the Prime Minister’s Office also thanked the team of surgeons who performed Netanyahu’s operation, which lasted about two hours, as expected.
The surgery was performed by a team of specialists including Gofrit, Ehud Gnessin, a senior urologist at Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, and Prof. Mordechai Duvdevani, head of Ein Kerem’s Endourology Unit.
Hebrew media reported that Justice Minister Yariv Levin would fill in temporarily as acting premier during the procedure and that Defense Minister Israel Katz was authorized to convene the security cabinet if needed.
Netanyahu, who has had a series of health issues in recent years, has gone to great lengths to bolster a public image of himself as a healthy, energetic leader. During his trial this month, he boasted about working 18-hour days. But as Israel’s longest-serving leader, such a grueling workload over a total of 17 years in power could take a toll on his well-being.
At 75, Netanyahu is among older world leaders including US President Joe Biden, 82, President-elect Donald Trump, 78, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 79, and Pope Francis, 88, who have come under scrutiny for their age and health issues.
According to the Mayo Clinic website, patients who undergo a prostatectomy usually leave the hospital after one to two days, but “likely” are discharged with a catheter that is required for 7 to ten days after surgery.
The website recommends patients resume activity “slowly over time,” and says patients can be back to their “usual routine in about 4 to 6 weeks.”
In March, the premier was put under full anesthesia to undergo surgery for a hernia. That same month, he missed several days of work after contracting the flu.
Last year, Netanyahu underwent surgery to have a pacemaker installed after he suffered a “transient heart block.” The surgery came a week after he was 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.
The incident led to considerable speculation among many in Israel as to the health of the prime minister and to what degree details had been hidden from the public.
A medical report released in January said Netanyahu was in a “completely normal state of health,” that his pacemaker was working correctly, and that there was no evidence of heart arrhythmia or any other problematic conditions.
Netanyahu’s defense lawyer on Sunday requested that the Jerusalem District Court cancel the hearings in which the premier was scheduled to give testimony in his criminal defense trial this week.
The court quickly acceded to the request, adding that the hearings are “expected to resume next week, on Monday, January 6,” and wished the prime minister a full recovery.
The prime minister began his testimony as the first witness for the defense in his trial on December 10 and has testified in court for six days so far.
He is charged with several counts of fraud and breach of trust for his dealings with business tycoons and newspaper publishers, as well as one count of bribery for allegedly entering into an illegal quid pro quo agreement with Shaul Elovitch, the owner of the Walla news website and the Bezeq telecommunications giant, seeking better coverage on the site in exchange for lucrative regulatory approvals. He denies wrongdoing and has said the charges were fabricated by the state prosecution and police investigators in an attempted political coup.
Agencies and Diana Bletter contributed to this report.