Benjamin Netanyahu Says He Received Successful Treatment for Early-Stage Prostate Cancer

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that he received successful treatment for early-stage prostate cancer, after a small tumour was discovered during a routine checkup and treated with radiation therapy.

Multiple outlets tied the disclosure to Netanyahu’s decision to delay publication of his annual medical report, with Al Jazeera saying Netanyahu requested to delay it by two months so it would not be released “at the height of the war” against Iran.

ABC

BBC reported Netanyahu said he was “in excellent physical condition” after the publication of his annual medical report revealed he had “a malignant tumour removed,” and that he had requested the delay to prevent Tehran from spreading “even more false propaganda against Israel.”

CBS News added that Netanyahu revealed he was treated for early-stage prostate cancer 18 months ago and delayed making the news public so Iran would not use it as “propaganda against Israel.”

CNN reported Netanyahu said he delayed the release of his annual medical report by two months so it wouldn’t be used as propaganda by Iran, and described his treatment as targeted radiation therapy in which “the spot disappeared completely.”

The medical details were presented as part of Netanyahu’s health reporting, with Al Jazeera noting that neither the medical report nor Netanyahu said when the treatment occurred, while the BBC said the tumour was “a tiny spot of less than a centimetre” discovered during the most recent check up.

The cancer announcement arrived in the context of Israel’s war with Iran and ongoing ceasefire arrangements, with several outlets linking Netanyahu’s delayed disclosure to the timing of military operations.

BBC said the revelation comes as Netanyahu is due to visit the White House in the coming weeks as the US seeks to broker a long lasting peace deal in the war with Iran, and it also reported Israel’s ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, following fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, has been extended by three weeks.

Al Jazeera

CBS News similarly said the news comes with Netanyahu set to visit the White House in the next few weeks to discuss a more sustainable peace with Iran than the current fragile ceasefire, and it described that on Thursday evening Israel extended its ongoing U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Lebanon by a further three weeks while Hezbollah and Israeli military forces continue to exchange fire.

Politico framed Netanyahu’s revelation as coming while the U.S. and Israel were “mired in a shaky ceasefire in their war against Iran,” and said Netanyahu underwent treatment in recent months and made a complete recovery.

Al Jazeera said Netanyahu’s annual medical report information was published on Friday and that Netanyahu posted on social media to explain that doctors discovered and treated the tumour during a medical checkup, while also stating the information was not announced at the time.

CNN reported Netanyahu’s office disclosed publicly in December 2024 that he underwent surgery for an enlarged prostate, and said he began undergoing radiation therapy about two and a half months ago according to an Israeli source familiar with the matter.

Netanyahu’s explanation for the delay and the treatment was presented through direct statements and reported medical framing across outlets.

In a post on X, BBC reported Netanyahu said that during routine medical monitoring following successful surgery for an enlarged benign prostate, doctors found an early-stage malignant tumour, and that treatment had “removed the problem and left no trace of it.”

BBC also quoted Netanyahu saying, “I had a minor medical issue with my prostate that was completely treated. Thank God, it's behind me,” and it described his argument that he chose to address the issue immediately when given information in time about a potential danger.

CBS News reported Netanyahu said the early-stage malign tumor was “a tiny spot of less than a centimeter” that was successfully removed a year and a half ago, and that he is now in “excellent physical condition.”

CNN added that Netanyahu said he delayed the release of his annual medical report by two months so it wouldn’t be used as propaganda by Iran, and it included a doctor’s letter saying “This is an early detection of a very small lesions, with no metastases, as all other tests confirmed beyond any doubt.”

The Guardian described Netanyahu’s statement as saying targeted treatment removed “the problem” and left no trace of it, and it also said Netanyahu delayed the release of the medical report by two months to prevent Iran from spreading “false propaganda against Israel.”

The reporting also detailed the medical pathway and the names of doctors and institutions involved, while leaving some timing points unclear.

Al Jazeera said the information was published in Netanyahu’s annual medical report and that doctors discovered and treated the tumour during a medical checkup, and it stated that neither the medical report nor Netanyahu said when the treatment occurred.

Al-Monitor

BBC said Netanyahu underwent surgery for an enlarged benign prostate in 2024 and has been under routine medical monitoring, and it quoted Netanyahu that “A tiny spot of less than a centimetre” was discovered during the most recent check up.

The Jerusalem Post, in contrast, said the annual health report was dated April 20, 2026 and stated Netanyahu, 76, first underwent surgery on December 29, 2024, to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia at Hadassah Medical Center, and it said a routine follow-up MRI identified a minuscule suspicious lesion measuring less than one millimeter.

It further reported that further diagnostic tests confirmed early-stage prostate cancer with no evidence of metastases, and it described Netanyahu delaying the report for two months to avoid giving Iran an opportunity to exploit his medical condition for propaganda.

The Jerusalem Post named Prof. Aharon Popovzer, director of the Sharret Institute at Hadassah Medical Center, as well as Dr. Mark Wigoda, head of the hospital’s radiation therapy unit, and Dr. Shraga Gors of the same institute, and it quoted Popovzer saying, “We can say, based on the findings of these tests, that the disease has disappeared.”

Even within the same overall narrative of successful treatment, outlets diverged on specific timing and the framing of the announcement’s significance, reflecting different emphases in their reporting.

“- Published Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is "in excellent physical condition" after the publication of his annual medical report revealed he had a malignant tumour removed”

BBC

CBS News said Netanyahu revealed he was treated for early-stage prostate cancer 18 months ago and that the annual medical report was due to be published two months ago, while CNN said Netanyahu underwent surgery for an enlarged prostate in December 2024 and that an Israeli source familiar with the matter said the cancer was diagnosed several months ago and that Netanyahu began undergoing radiation therapy about two and a half months ago.

BBC

Politico said Netanyahu’s revelation came with the U.S. and Israel mired in a shaky ceasefire and said he made a complete recovery, while The Guardian said Netanyahu revealed he received successful treatment for early-stage prostate cancer without specifying when the treatment took place.

The Hill reported Netanyahu disclosed on Friday that he had undergone treatment for prostate cancer and had delayed releasing the results until after the peak of U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran earlier this year, and it quoted Netanyahu’s post about delaying publication so it would not be released at the height of the war.

The Washington Post added a different layer by reporting that opposition lawmaker Naama Lazimi wrote that “The Prime Minister’s health is a matter of national security, and the public is entitled to know the truth,” and it also described that journalists and members of the opposition raised doubts regarding the completeness of information provided to the public concerning his medical details.

Al Jazeera also placed the disclosure in a longer arc of health speculation, saying Netanyahu was the subject of speculation during the early weeks of the US-Israel attacks on Iran as fake, AI-generated images circulated suggesting he had died, including on Iranian state media, and it said Netanyahu recorded a video of himself visiting a Jerusalem cafe in March to refute the claims.