Netanyahu released from hospital four days after prostate removal surgery
Doctors say PM is recovering satisfactorily; his attorney said expected to request cancelation of criminal trial hearings next week
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was discharged from the hospital in Jerusalem on Thursday after undergoing a successful prostate removal surgery on Sunday evening.
The surgery was conducted at the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital after doctors discovered an infection in his urinary tract resulting from a benign enlargement of the prostate.
Netanyahu then spent several days recovering in an underground, fortified ward, amid concerns that he could be targeted by rocket or missile fire amid the ongoing war.
On Tuesday, the prime minister left the hospital for several hours, against the advice of his doctors, in order to cast the decisive vote on a critical budget-related bill in the Knesset that his coalition was scrambling to shore up support for.
Sources said that he was “exhausted” upon his return to the hospital later that night.
In a statement upon his release Thursday, Netanyahu’s doctors said that his condition was stable and that he was recovering satisfactorily from the surgery.
The hospital added that the prime minister had expressed his “deep gratitude to the specialists at Hadassah, the entire staff, the expert from Assaf Harofeh, and his personal physician, Dr. Zvika Berkowitz, who cared for him with dedication.”
As he still faces a recovery period and medical follow-up, Ynet reported that Netanyahu’s doctors had advised him to spend the next two weeks recovering at home and not to resume working as normal.
To that end, the report stated that Netanyahu’s attorney Amit Hadad is expected to ask the Jerusalem District Court to cancel the hearings in his criminal trial in which he is scheduled to testify next week.
This week’s planned hearings were also canceled due to the surgery.
In light of the recovery period, Ynet reported that Sunday’s upcoming weekly cabinet meeting has been canceled, as was as a cabinet meeting that had been scheduled to take place later on Thursday night.
Following his release from the hospital, Netanyahu thanked his doctors again, and the public for its support.
“I would like to thank the many, many of you, citizens of Israel, for the prayers, encouragement, and support that have deeply moved me and my family,” he wrote on X.
He also thanked “all the doctors, nurses, and medical staff who went above and beyond.”
יצאתי עכשיו מבית החולים הדסה עין כרם ואני מבקש להודות לרבים-רבים מכם, אזרחי ישראל, על התפילות, החיזוקים והתמיכה שריגשו אותי ואת משפחתי עד מאוד.
תודה מיוחדת לפרופ׳ יורם וייס מנכ״ל המרכז הרפואי הדסה ולרופאי הדסה: לפרופ׳ עופר גופרית, לפרופ׳ מרדכי דובדבני, לד״ר סטפן לדוט, לד״ר יובל…
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) January 2, 2025
At 75, Netanyahu is among older world leaders including US President Joe Biden, 82; US 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.
In March 2024, 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.
In 2023, he underwent surgery to have a pacemaker installed after suffering a transient heart block. The surgery came a week after he was hospitalized for what he said at the time was dehydration.
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 last year 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.
Despite protocols requiring prime ministers to release an annual health report, Netanyahu did not release one between 2016 and late 2023. He could not be legally forced to share his health information as these protocols, developed by the Prime Minister’s Office, were not enshrined in law.
