Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is recovering from food poisoning and dehydration, according to statements from his office on Sunday. While his condition is stable, the 75-year-old leader will rest for the next three days and manage government affairs remotely.
The announcement followed Netanyahu’s absence from the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday morning. As questions arose about his whereabouts, the Prime Minister’s Office clarified that he began feeling unwell overnight and was examined at home by Dr Alon Hershko, director of internal medicine at Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Kerem.
Hershko diagnosed Netanyahu with intestinal inflammation caused by spoiled food, The Times of Israel reported.
Netanyahu is currently receiving intravenous fluids to treat dehydration resulting from the illness. “In accordance with his doctors’ instructions, the prime minister will rest at home for the next three days and will conduct state affairs from there,” said his office, according to Reuters.
This incident adds to a series of health-related episodes for the Israeli leader.
In 2023, Netanyahu had a pacemaker installed after experiencing a transient heart block. A week earlier, he had been hospitalised for what was initially described as dehydration, later revealed to be tied to a long-standing heart conduction issue. Last December, he underwent surgery to remove his prostate following a urinary tract infection, and in March 2024, he had hernia surgery and missed work due to the flu.
A medical report released in January 2023, his most recent made public, stated that Netanyahu was in a “completely normal state of health” and that his pacemaker was functioning properly.
(With inputs from Reuters, The Times of Israel)