Netanyahu to undergo prostate surgery as Qatar PM engages Hamas on Gaza ceasefire
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to undergo prostate removal surgery on Sunday, and his office said after he was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection.
The procedure comes with Israel at war against Hamas militants in Gaza more than 14 months after the Palestinian militants carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 last year.
Netanyahu underwent a test at Hadassah Hospital on Wednesday, where he was “diagnosed with a urinary tract infection resulting from a benign prostate enlargement”, the prime minister’s office said in a statement. “As a result, the prime minister will undergo prostate removal surgery tomorrow,” it said, adding that full details will be provided later.
In March, Netanyahu underwent a hernia surgery while in July last year he was fitted with a pacemaker after a medical scare. The Israeli cabinet’s Sunday meeting will take place before the operation.
Netanyahu does not have an official, permanent stand-in. One of his cabinet members is usually appointed to take over ad-hoc in such cases, although it was not yet announced which of the ministers will be tasked with replacing him during the operation and recovery period.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s prime minister met a Hamas delegation in Doha on Saturday to discuss a “clear and comprehensive” ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza, a statement said.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani held talks with a Hamas team led by senior official Khalil al-Hayya, the foreign ministry statement said.
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It is unusual for Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Qatar’s foreign minister, to be publicly involved in the mediation process that has appeared deadlocked for months.
“During the meeting, the latest developments in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations were reviewed, and ways to advance the process were discussed to ensure a clear and comprehensive agreement that brings an end to the ongoing war in the region,” the statement said.
Earlier this month, the sheikh expressed optimism that “momentum” was returning to the talks following Donald Trump’s election victory in the United States.
“We have sensed, after the election, that the momentum is coming back,” he said at the Doha Forum political conference.
The incoming Trump administration had given “a lot of encouragement in order to achieve a deal, even before the president comes to the office”, the premier added.
The Gulf emirate, along with the United States and Egypt, has been involved in months of unsuccessful negotiations for a Gaza truce and hostage release.
In November, Doha announced it had put its mediation on hold, saying that it would resume when Hamas and Israel showed “willingness and seriousness”.
But Doha then hosted indirect negotiations this month, with Hamas and Israel both reporting progress before again accusing each other of throwing up roadblocks.
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