Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been declared cancer‑free in Jerusalem after secret treatment for early‑stage prostate cancer, which he kept from the public during Israel's recent war with Iran, according to an official medical report published on Friday that details the previously undisclosed cancer diagnosis.
The Prime Minister's Office released its annual health summary dated 20 April 2026, confirming that the 76‑year‑old had undergone a series of procedures over the past year starting with surgery on 29 December 2024 at Hadassah Medical Center.
That initial operation was said to address benign prostatic hyperplasia, a common non‑cancerous enlargement of the prostate, and at the time was presented as routine and complication‑free. Only later, and only after further scans, did doctors identify what turned out to be a small prostate tumour.
The new report now ties those earlier medical bulletins to a much more serious finding. A follow‑up MRI, carried out as part of standard post‑operative care, picked up what was described as a 'minuscule suspicious lesion' in Netanyahu's prostate, measuring under one millimetre. Additional testing then confirmed the presence of early‑stage prostate cancer, with no sign the disease had spread beyond the gland.
None of that was shared with the public as it was happening. Instead, details have surfaced only now, months after Israel's confrontation with Iran dominated headlines and sharply focused attention on the country's political and military leadership.
The Prime Minister's Office framed the disclosure as part of its regular annual reporting, but the timing has already prompted questions about transparency in a country where the health of top officials has become a political issue more than once.
Netanyahu has been blunt about why the cancer diagnosis was kept under wraps. In a statement issued alongside the medical report, he said he had deliberately delayed publication of the findings for two months because Israel was in the midst of its conflict with Iran and he did not want Tehran to see an opening.
'I chose to delay the report's publication so it would not come out at the peak of the war and be used by Iran for propaganda,' he said, arguing that any sign of frailty at the very top of government might have been seized upon by Iran's leadership and media.
היום התפרסם הדו״ח הרפואי השנתי שלי.ביקשתי לעכב את פרסומו בחודשיים כדי שהוא לא יפורסם בשיא המלחמה על מנת שלא לאפשר למשטר הטרור באיראן להפיץ עוד תעמולת כזב נגד ישראל.אני מבקש לשתף אתכם בשלושה דברים:1 - ברוך השם, אני בריא.2 - אני בכושר גופני מצויין.3 - הייתה לי בעיה…
Publicly, Netanyahu now insists he is fit for office. 'Today I can say I am in good health and excellent physical condition after treating a very early‑stage prostate cancer that was completely removed,' he added, presenting the episode as contained and resolved.
Source: International Business Times UK
