Israeli PM Netanyahu reveals early-stage prostate cancer, confirms full recovery

Benjamin Netanyahu has revealed he underwent treatment for early-stage prostate cancer.

The Israeli prime minister, 76, said on Friday that an early-stage malignant tumour had been discovered during a routine checkup. He said "targeted treatment" had removed "the problem" and left no trace of it.

According to the medical report, Netanyahu was treated with radiation therapy for early-stage prostate cancer. It was unclear when the treatment occurred.

Mr Netanyahu said he had asked to delay the release of his annual medical record until now to avoid his health concerns being shared at the height of the Iran conflict, to prevent Iran from spreading “false propaganda against Israel”.

With the conflict now held to an indefinite ceasefire, Mr Netanyahu said he has recovered from treatment and is “in excellent condition”.In March, during the fighting with Iran, rumours that circulated on social media and aired on Iranian state media claimed that Netanyahu had died. The Israeli leader recorded a video of himself visiting a Jerusalem cafe in March to refute the claims.

In a statement on social media, he said he had been advised he could undergo treatment to “remove the problem”, or live with it.

“You already know me. When I‍‍`m given information in time about a potential danger, I want to address it immediately,” he said. “This is true on the national level and also on the personal level. That‍‍`s what I did.”

The annual health report, dated 20 April 2026, states that Netanyahu first underwent surgery on 29 December 2024 to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, according to the Jerusalem Post.

That procedure, at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, was reported to have been a success, without any complications.

A routine follow up revealed a suspicious lesion in the prostate, the report says. Diagnostic tests subsequently confirmed the presence of early stage prostate cancer with no evidence it was spreading.

Professor Aharon Popovzer, who directed the radiation therapy, said they had found a 0.9-centimeter mass, found to be a prostatic adenocarcinoma.

Mr Netanyahu underwent a “comprehensive examination” and the cancer was found to be in its “very early stages”. The prime minister underwent a “specialised kidney treatment ... two and a half months ago”, he said.

The report says the treatment was “fully successful”, with the lesion completely disappearing according to subsequent imaging.