Netanyahu is “in good shape and starting to recover,” his office said at the end of Sunday night’s surgery.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underwent “successful” hernia surgery, his office said Monday in a statement.
Netanyahu is “in good shape and starting to recover,” his office said at the end of Sunday night’s surgery, closely followed in Israel and abroad amid the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
During his absence, Israeli Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Yariv Levin carried out his duties.
The 74-year-old Israeli prime minister had already undergone surgery last July to have a pacemaker implanted after fainting.
As at that time, Netanyahu faces a complicated political situation, now aggravated by the war between Israel and Hamas and renewed tensions on the border with Lebanon.
On the same night as the operation, thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Jerusalem to demand Netanyahu’s resignation and the release of Israeli hostages held by the Hamas terrorist group, at a time of stalled negotiations for their release.
Among the speakers at the protests were opposition leader Yair Lapid; relatives of Hamas victims and hostages; as well as Moshe Radman, one of the leaders of the protests against judicial reform that filled the streets of Israel throughout 2023, a movement that now merges with that of the families of the captives to demand early elections in the country.
Even the Israeli Business Forum, which brings together the country’s 200 largest firms and most private sector workers, announced on Sunday that it gave its employees carte blanche to skip work and attend this week’s anti-government protests.
In addition, dozens of technology companies, a thriving sector that is a flagship of the Israeli economy, have also said that their employees can join the protests without sanctions.
Last night, tens of thousands of people participated in massive protests across the country, while the weekly demonstrations of hostage families in Tel Aviv took a dramatic turn when speakers called on attendees to “take to the streets” and join the anti-government protesters in the heart of the city.
The war began with Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Israel pledged to destroy Hamas and launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip that has left 32,782 dead, mostly civilians, according to the Health Ministry controlled by the terrorist group ruling Gaza.
