Israeli PM operated on successfully: Netanyahu’s office

FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Jerusalem, February 18, 2024. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo

Jerusalem — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underwent “successful” hernia surgery, his office said on Monday.

Netanyahu was “in good shape and beginning to recover”, his office said in a statement after the operation on Sunday evening, which was closely watched as the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip nears six months.

Doctors discovered the hernia on Saturday during a routine checkup, and after consultations the decision was made for the premier to undergo surgery after completing his daily schedule, his office said.

READ: Israelis stage largest protest since war began to pressure Netanyahu

Thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Jerusalem on Sunday evening to call for Netanyahu’s resignation and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7 that resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign has so far killed at least 32,782 people, mostly women and children, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Sunday.