Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday announced that he was treated for early-stage prostate cancer but delayed the publication of his annual medical report by two months to deter Iran from spreading “false propaganda” against Israel amid the ongoing war.
He posted on ‘X’ that he was healthy and in “excellent physical condition,” adding that he had a minor medical issue with his prostate that was completely treated.
Prostate cancer starts in the prostate gland, a small walnut-shaped organ located just below the bladder, and is a common cancer that is often treatable, especially when detected early.
Netanyahu said that he had been under routine medical monitoring after successfully undergoing surgery for an enlarged benign prostate more than a year ago. However, he added that doctors discovered a tiny spot of less than a centimetre in the prostate in the last monitoring.
“Upon examination, it turned out to be a very early stage of a malignant tumour, with no spread or metastases whatsoever,” he said on ‘X’.
Netanyahu said doctors gave him two options: Manage it through regular monitoring, as many people do, or undergo targeted treatment to eliminate it entirely. He chose the latter.
“I went to a few short treatments, read a book, and continued working. The spot disappeared completely,” he said while thanking doctors and the medical teams at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.
He ended his message by praying for the recovery of those wounded in the ongoing war in the Middle East, which has entered its eighth week.