Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Reveals Treatment for Early-Stage Prostate Cancer After Two-Month Delay

Apr 25, 2026, 02:42

Introduction

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he underwent treatment for early-stage prostate cancer. He acknowledged a two-month delay in sharing this medical information publicly during the ongoing conflict with Iran.

Main Body

According to Netanyahu's annual medical report released on Friday, the tumor was found at a very early stage with no signs of spreading, and the condition has been fully treated. Dr. Aharon Popovtser, head of oncology at Hadassah Hospital, stated that later scans and blood tests showed the disease has resolved. Netanyahu explained that he asked for the information to be kept secret to prevent its release during the most intense period of the war against Iran. He argued that making it public could have been used for what he called false propaganda against Israel. He also noted that his doctors described the condition as minor and common for men his age, giving him the choice of monitoring or immediate treatment. In a social media post, Netanyahu emphasized that when he learns of a potential danger, he prefers to deal with it quickly. He said this is a rule he follows both as a national leader and in his personal life. The 76-year-old leader had previously undergone surgery for an enlarged benign prostate in 2024 and was being regularly checked when the tumor was discovered. The exact date of the cancer treatment is not known. His office reported that the rest of the medical examination showed he is in good overall health. The announcement came after weeks of public guessing about Netanyahu's health. He had missed several security cabinet meetings in a row during the early part of the US-Israel military campaign against Iran. In March, he released a video of himself waving at a café in Jerusalem. This was an attempt to fight rumors that recent videos of his public appearances were made by artificial intelligence.

Conclusion

The disclosure ends a period of uncertainty about the prime minister's physical condition. It confirms a successful treatment outcome but also raises questions about the timing of health-related transparency during a time of national conflict.

Vocabulary Learning

acknowledge (v.)
admit / to accept or admit that something is true承認；確認
Example:He acknowledged a two-month delay in sharing the information.
benign (adj.)
non-cancerous / not harmful; (of a tumor) not malignant良性的（非惡性）
Example:He had surgery for an enlarged benign prostate.
disclosure (n.)
revelation / the act of making something known, especially information that was secret披露；公開
Example:The disclosure ends a period of uncertainty.
propaganda (n.)
misinformation / information, especially biased or misleading, used to promote a political cause宣傳（常含貶義）
Example:He feared it could be used for false propaganda against Israel.
undergo (v.)
experience / to go through (a medical procedure)接受（治療）；經歷
Example:He underwent treatment for prostate cancer.

Sentence Learning

According to Netanyahu's annual medical report released on Friday, the tumor was found at a very early stage with no signs of spreading, and the condition has been fully treated.
Passive Voice and Reduced Relative Clause The passive voice ('was found', 'has been treated') shifts focus to the tumor and condition rather than the doctor. The reduced relative clause 'released on Friday' modifies 'report' concisely.被動語態與省略關係從句 被動語態（'was found'、'has been treated'）將重點放在腫瘤和病情而非醫生身上。省略關係從句'released on Friday'簡潔地修飾'report'。
Netanyahu explained that he asked for the information to be kept secret to prevent its release during the most intense period of the war against Iran.
Passive Infinitive and Purpose Clause 'to be kept secret' is a passive infinitive showing the information was kept secret by someone. The infinitive 'to prevent' expresses purpose.被動不定式與目的從句 'to be kept secret'是被動不定式，表示信息被某人保密。不定式'to prevent'表達目的。
He argued that making it public could have been used for what he called false propaganda against Israel.
Passive Modal Perfect and Relative Clause 'could have been used' is a passive modal perfect, indicating a past possibility. 'what he called' is a relative clause introducing the term 'false propaganda'.被動情態完成式與關係從句 'could have been used'是被動情態完成式，表示過去的可能性。'what he called'是關係從句，引入術語'false propaganda'。
In a social media post, Netanyahu emphasized that when he learns of a potential danger, he prefers to deal with it quickly.
Time Clause with 'when' The subordinating conjunction 'when' introduces a time clause, showing the sequence: learning about danger then dealing with it. This organizes the cause-effect relationship.時間從句（'when'） 從屬連詞'when'引入時間從句，顯示順序：得知危險後立即處理。這組織了因果關係。
The 76-year-old leader had previously undergone surgery for an enlarged benign prostate in 2024 and was being regularly checked when the tumor was discovered.
Passive Voice in Past Continuous and Simple Past 'was being regularly checked' (past continuous passive) emphasizes ongoing monitoring. 'was discovered' (simple past passive) marks a specific event. The time clause 'when...' connects the two actions.過去進行被動與簡單過去被動 'was being regularly checked'（過去進行被動）強調持續監測。'was discovered'（簡單過去被動）標記具體事件。時間從句'when...'連接兩個動作。