PM Netanyahu falls ill, will manage state affairs from home the next three days

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is receiving intravenous fluids due to dehydration caused by intestinal inflammation and will work from home for the next three days, his office stated on Sunday.

His planned court hearings in the ongoing corruption trial scheduled for Monday and Tuesday were postponed, as the prime minister requested to postpone the hearings to Wednesday, vowing to “make an effort” to testify that day.

The State Attorney’s Office agreed but asked Netanyahu to testify on Thursday as well.

“Under the circumstances, and considering what is written in the medical record, we cannot object… However, in light of the many hearings that have been canceled recently, we will request that the defendant testify on Wednesday and Thursday of this week,” the state attorney wrote.

Many of Netanyahu’s hearings in the past weeks were cancelled due to security considerations, as he was dealing with the fallout of the Iran campaign, the ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, and the latest crisis in Syria.

The hearings this week could be the last hearings for the next three months due to the upcoming Knesset summer break.

“After feeling unwell during the night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was examined at his home by Prof. Alon Hershko, Head of the Internal Medicine Department at Hadassah Ein Kerem, and it was found that he is suffering from intestinal inflammation caused by eating spoiled food,” the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Sunday.

“Following additional tests, the Prime Minister's condition was assessed as good, and he is currently receiving intravenous fluids due to dehydration associated with the illness.”

“In accordance with his doctors’ instructions, the Prime Minister will rest at home for the next three days and will manage state affairs from there,” the statement read.

Speaking with Ynet News, Dr. Avigdor Fishman, a gastroenterologist at Assuta Medical Center explained, “The term ‘stomach bug’ usually refers to a bacterial infection from contaminated food—not a viral infection, as is often thought… In some cases, the infection can incapacitate the patient and require home rest, or even hospitalization, especially among older people or those with preexisting conditions.”

“Since Prime Minister Netanyahu is over 70, closer medical monitoring is required. Even after the acute symptoms subside, it may take time—sometimes weeks—before the digestive system returns to normal function,” he added.

The health of 75-year-old Benjamin Netanyahu has been the subject of speculation and rumors over the past years, amid several treatments in the hospital.

Last December, after Netanyahu’s prostate was removed, an examination found a urinary tract infection caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia, which his office said was treated successfully.

In April 2024, he underwent surgery under full anesthesia for a hernia.

Before that surgery, Netanyahu slammed speculation about his health: “This is all a great madness—there’s no end to the madness. My wife had an appendectomy, and they claimed she spent a week in Vienna. I had the flu—and they said I was at Maayanei Hayeshua. There’s no end to these lies.”

In July 2023, Netanyahu underwent a pacemaker implantation procedure after he was admitted to the hospital due to feeling dizzy and reportedly even fainting. The hospital at the time said that “the reason for the hospitalization was dehydration. His heart is completely healthy, with no findings.”