During a routine examination on Saturday, the 74-year-old was diagnosed with a hernia, a tissue break, Netanyahu’s office said on Sunday. Parts of the intestine, organ parts or fatty tissue protrude through a gap in the abdominal wall. The most common form of hernia is the inguinal hernia.
Netanyahu’s office did not provide any information regarding exactly what type of hernia the prime minister was diagnosed with. Most patients can leave the hospital quickly following hernia surgery and return to normal physical activity following a few days or weeks.
Minister of Justice takes over official duties
Justice Minister Jariv Levin, who is also deputy prime minister, will now take over the duties of head of government, Netanyahu’s office said. A War Cabinet meeting was scheduled for Sunday evening.
Netanyahu has often been hospitalized for health problems in the past. He had a pacemaker inserted last summer.
On Sunday, tens of thousands demonstrated once morest the government of the right-wing conservative prime minister for the second day in a row. During angry protests near parliament in Jerusalem, they demanded the government’s resignation, a new election and a quick deal to release the hostages held by the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas.
Sharp criticism from the opposition
Opposition leader Jair Lapid sharply criticized Netanyahu at the demonstration. The head of government was destroying Israel’s relations with the USA and leaving the Hamas hostages to their fate, he said, among other things. “Everything for politics, nothing for the country.” Netanyahu firmly rejected criticism of his conduct of the negotiations and calls for a new election.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army says it is continuing to fight the Islamist Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the Gaza Strip. In addition to dozens of other targets, the military bombed a suspected PIJ command center in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Hospital in Dair al-Balah, the armed forces announced on Sunday.
4 dead in attack
The Hamas-controlled health authority reported that four people were killed in the attack. According to Palestinian media, a tent in the courtyard was attacked. 17 people were also injured, including four journalists.
According to the army, members of the terrorist organization were in the jihadist command center. The Hamas-controlled media office in the Gaza Strip said the attacked tent belonged to people seeking shelter.
According to the military, the clinic itself was not damaged. The command center was specifically attacked in order to minimize the damage to bystanders in the hospital, the army said, without giving details. None of the information might initially be independently verified.
The day before, the air force had shelled a total of around 80 positions in the coastal strip, including military areas and areas where Hamas members were staying, the military said.
Deployed to Shifa Hospital
The army’s operation once morest extremists entrenched there also continued in the Shifa hospital in the city of Gaza in the north of the coastal strip. According to reports, people were killed in several of the clinic’s buildings and the military spoke of terrorists.
In a stairwell, soldiers chased and exchanged fire with armed and high-ranking members of Hamas, killing them in the process. The army also found hidden weapons in the maternity ward of the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip. Grenades, explosive devices and rifles were found in cushions, ceilings and walls.
Israel accuses the Islamist Hamas of systematically misusing medical facilities for military purposes. Hamas rejects this.
Given the dire humanitarian situation and the many civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, there is a lot of international criticism of the Israeli military’s actions.
According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, the number of Palestinians killed in the coastal strip since the war began six months ago has now risen to 32,782. The number of people injured since then is 75,298. In its information, which is also difficult to verify, the authority does not differentiate between fighters and civilians.
