Netanyahu had surgery for benign prostate enlargement, not cancer | Fact check
The claim: Benjamin Netanyahu diagnosed with 'Grade 3' prostate cancer
A Dec. 29 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a woman speaking over a screenshot of an X post that claims to share news about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"BREAKING: Head of the Israeli Prime Minister's Medical Team: Netanyahu has been diagnosed with Grade 3 prostate cancer," the X post reads.
The Instagram post was liked more than 5,000 times in two days.
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Our rating: False
No such diagnosis has been announced. Netanyahu underwent prostate removal surgery after he was diagnosed with an infection stemming from a benign prostate enlargement, according to reputable news reports.
Israeli prime minister underwent procedure following infection
Ofer Gofrit, director of the urology department at Jerusalem's Hadassah Medical Center, said in a video statement that Netanyahu's Dec. 29 prostate surgery went well and there was "no suspicion" of malignancy or cancer, according to reports by The Times of Israel and The Associated Press.
Netanyahu, 75, had been diagnosed with a urinary tract infection related to a benign – or not cancerous – enlargement of his prostate, the New York Times reported, citing a statement from Netanyahu's office.
The Israeli prime minister returned to the Knesset on Dec. 31 to vote on a key budget bill, Haaretz reported.
Fact check: Video shows Benjamin Netanyahu running in 2021, not fleeing to bunker in 2024
The X post seen in the Instagram post does not provide evidence supporting the claim that the head of Netanyahu's medical team announced he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Nor have there been any credible news reports about Netanyahu being diagnosed with "Grade 3" prostate cancer.
Paste BN has debunked an array of social media claims involving Netanyahu and Israel, including false assertions that a video shows Netanyahu fleeing to a bunker, that an image shows Netanyahu sending his son to fight against Hamas in 2023 and that the U.S. reinstituted the draft for the Israel-Hamas war.
Paste BN reached out to the Instagram and X users who shared the claim for comment but did not immediately receive responses.
Lead Stories also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources
- The Associated Press, Dec. 29, Israeli hospital says Netanyahu has undergone successful prostate surgery
- The Times of Israel, Dec. 29, Netanyahu recovering after successful prostate removal surgery
- Jerusalem Dateline, Dec. 30, Facebook post
- Haaretz, Dec. 31, PM Netanyahu Leaves Hospital to Vote on Budget Law as Coalition, Facing Internal rebellion, lacks majority
- Haaretz (Archive.today), Dec. 31, PM Netanyahu Leaves Hospital to Vote on Budget Law as Coalition, Facing Internal rebellion, lacks majority
- The New York Times, Dec. 28, Netanyahu to Have Prostate Removal Surgery on Sunday
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, June 2024, Enlarged Prostate (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia)
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