Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quietly underwent treatment for prostate cancer, he said Friday as he publicised the results of his annual medical examination.
It is the first time the longest-serving leader in Israel’s history has acknowledged that he was diagnosed with cancer.
Netanyahu, 76, underwent surgery for an enlarged prostate in December 2024, an operation the Prime Minister’s Office had disclosed publicly at the time. In the latest check-up following the surgery, Netanyahu revealed in a statement on social media that doctors discovered a malignant tumour in his prostate of less than a centimetre.
The Prime Minister’s Office also released two letters from his doctors to accompany the revelation on social media. “This is an early detection of a very small lesions, with no metastases, as all other tests confirmed beyond any doubt,” one letter said.
He does not reveal when the last check was, but an Israeli source familiar with the matter told CNN that the cancer was diagnosed several months ago. Netanyahu began undergoing radiation therapy about two and a half months ago, according to the source, and had recently completed the treatment.
Netanyahu says he decided to undergo targeted radiation therapy and “the spot disappeared completely.”
“Thank God, I am healthy,” Netanyahu said on social media. “I had a minor medical issue with my prostate that was completely treated.” He says he delayed the release of his annual medical report – which revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer – by two months so that it wouldn’t be used as propaganda by Iran.
