Israeli PM Netanyahu rushed to hospital with probable dehydration, office says
- Benjamin Netanyahu, 73, who is Israel’s longest-serving leader, had been on holiday at the Sea of Galilee on Friday during a heatwave, his office said
- ‘The preliminary diagnosis is dehydration,’ Netanyahu’s office said, adding further routine tests were under way
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was admitted to hospital on Saturday with dizziness from apparent dehydration but was in good condition, his office said, and there were no indications of a potential handover of power.
On Saturday, he was taken to Sheba Hospital in the town of Tel Hashomer, close to his private residence in coastal Caesarea. Israeli media said he was fully conscious en route to Sheba and that he walked into the accident and emergency department.
Channel 12 TV said he had suffered chest pain but there was no confirmation of that. He was not undergoing sedation and no procedures were under way to declare him incapacitated, it added.
Netanyahu’s office said he was admitted on his doctor’s recommendation after complaining of “light dizziness”.
“Initial tests came back normal, without findings. The preliminary diagnosis is dehydration,” it said, adding further routine tests were under way. An earlier statement said his condition was fine.
It was not immediately clear who might replace Netanyahu in the event of an emergency succession.
