Netanyahu Reveals He Was Treated for Early-Stage Prostate Cancer, Delayed Announcement Two Months to Deny Iran 'Propaganda'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that doctors found and treated an early-stage prostate cancer in a tumor smaller than one centimeter, and that he had requested the Prime Minister's Office to delay publication of the finding for two months so it would not be released during the war with Iran.

"Today my annual medical report was published," Netanyahu, 76, wrote on X. "I asked to delay its publication by two months so that it would not be published at the height of the war, in order not to allow the terrorist regime in Iran to spread more false propaganda against Israel."

The tumor was identified on a routine MRI follow-up after Netanyahu's December 2024 surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia. In his post, Netanyahu said doctors told him the lesion was common for his age and presented two options: observation, or targeted treatment to remove it. He chose treatment.

"I underwent targeted treatment that removed the problem and left no trace of it," Netanyahu wrote. "I went in for a few short treatments, read a book, and kept working. The spot disappeared completely." He said the treatment was performed at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem.

The two-month delay

Israel concluded a 12-day war with Iran in June 2025. Netanyahu's framing — that disclosing the cancer earlier would have "allowed the terrorist regime in Iran to spread more false propaganda" — is the element that distinguishes this disclosure from routine head-of-state medical announcements. By Netanyahu's own timeline, the diagnosis and treatment occurred while he was actively running the war and its aftermath. The PMO says the medical report was written at the time but held from public release on Netanyahu's request.

The medical report

The full medical report, published by the Prime Minister's Office on Friday and summarized in Netanyahu's X post, states that:

• The lesion identified was less than one centimeter, characterized as prostatic adenocarcinoma at a very early stage
• No metastases were identified on imaging or laboratory tests
• Treatment was a short course of radiation therapy
• Post-treatment imaging and blood work show the lesion has disappeared; Netanyahu is characterized as being in excellent physical condition

Netanyahu is the second sitting Israeli prime minister this decade to publicly disclose a prostate-related surgical procedure; he had disclosed the 2024 benign-prostate surgery at the time it was performed. He is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history and has held the office continuously since late 2022.