Netanyahu undergoes hernia surgery as his deputy covers for him

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to undergo surgery on Sunday for a hernia, according to a statement from his office.

The hernia was discovered during a routine checkup the night before, his office said.

During the surgery, Netanyahu, 74, would be under full anesthesia, his office said in the initial statement. Accordingly, his duties as prime minister would be filled by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Yariv Levi.

“In consultation with his doctors, it was decided that tonight, at the end of the agenda, the Prime Minister will arrive at the hospital for hernia surgery,” the statement earlier on Sunday read.

In a subsequent statement reported by CNN and The Times of Israel, Alon Pikarsky, the hospital’s director of general surgery and the attending surgeon, provided an update on the prime minister’s condition.

“He is awake, recovering and speaking with his family,” Pikarsky reportedly said in the statement.  

This is not the first surgery Netanyahu has had. In July 2023, Netanyahu underwent surgery to install an emergency pacemaker, and doctors revealed he had a chronic heart condition.