Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he successfully completed treatment for early-stage prostate cancer, and says his health is now fully stable and in excellent condition. The 76-year-old leader shared the update in a post on the social platform X, explaining why he kept the diagnosis private for months. In his statement, Netanyahu said he chose to delay the public announcement to prevent the Iranian government from exploiting his health situation for political propaganda against Israel.
Netanyahu walked through the timeline of his medical journey in the post, noting that 18 months prior, he underwent a successful surgical procedure to treat an enlarged benign prostate, and had since attended regular scheduled medical check-ups as a precaution. During one of these routine monitoring appointments, clinicians detected a small lesion measuring less than one centimeter in his prostate. Further pathology testing confirmed the growth was a malignant tumor, but caught at a very early stage with no indication of spread or metastasis to other parts of the body.
“I have overcome this illness,” Netanyahu emphasized, adding that his approach to health threats has always been to address any confirmed danger immediately once he is aware of it. The disclosure comes amid months of persistent public speculation about Netanyahu’s health, which ignited after the outbreak of cross-border military conflict between Israel, backed by the U.S., and Iran that began on February 28. Almost immediately after hostilities started, unsubstantiated rumors spread across social media claiming the Israeli prime minister had passed away. Even when official videos were released online to counter the false claims, speculation did not fully die down. It was not until Netanyahu made a public in-person appearance before reporters on March 19 that the persistent death rumors were definitively put to rest.