Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was discharged from the hospital after undergoing a successful hernia surgery earlier this week, his office announced on Tuesday afternoon.
“I am now being released from Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital—it became my office over the past day, we continued to work from here as well,” the premier said in a pre-recorded video statement.
Netanyahu also extended his gratitude to Professor Alon Pikarsky, Hadassah’s director of general surgery, the “excellent” medical staff, as well as the “masses of Israeli citizens” who sent wishes for his recovery.
“I’m recovering, thank you all,” he said, before addressing developments in the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu was scheduled for the medical procedure on Sunday night after his personal physician discovered the hernia during a routine checkup over the weekend.
The operation was performed under full anesthesia, and Justice Minister Yariv Levin served as acting prime minister while Netanyahu was sedated.
משתחרר מבית החולים הדסה עין כרם. תודה לרופאים על הטיפול ולכם על התפילות והתמיכה. pic.twitter.com/mhUdAXIzFY
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) April 2, 2024
The Prime Minister’s Office said on Monday afternoon that “Prime Minister Netanyahu is feeling very well, and he continues to carry out his daily routine from the hospital.”
The procedure “ended successfully” and Netanyahu was “awake, talking to his family, and his situation is perfect,” Hadassah Medical Center added.
On Dec. 31, following routine annual checkups by his medical team, Netanyahu received a clean bill of health after undergoing an emergency cardiac procedure earlier in the year.
“During the past year, [the prime minister] underwent annual routine examinations without any unusual findings,” said a letter signed by Netanyahu’s personal physician, Dr. Tzvi Berkovitz, and Pikarsky.
“The prime minister maintains a healthy lifestyle and a proper diet. The state of his health is completely normal,” added the physicians.
A separate note from Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer in Ramat Gan touched upon the condition of Netanyahu’s heart, noting that the premier was outfitted with a cardiac pacemaker several months earlier.
“The pacemaker implanted in his body is working properly, the electrical indicators are within the norm, he is not dependent on the pacemaker, and no unusual incidents have been recorded,” wrote Professor Roy Beinart, director of Sheba’s Arrhythmia Institute.
