Jerusalem, 7 May, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been ordered by a court to submit an updated medical file detailing his prostate cancer diagnosis timeline, in a move aimed at clarifying when the illness was first discovered as part of an ongoing defamation lawsuit.
The order requires Netanyahu to provide the documents in a sealed and secure envelope for judicial review only. The materials are intended to allow the court to examine key questions about the timing of his diagnosis while maintaining strict medical confidentiality.
The ruling was issued Thursday by Ramla Magistrate’s Court President Judge Menachem Mizrahi, in the context of a defamation lawsuit filed by Netanyahu against activist Gonen Ben Yitzhak and journalists Uri Misgav and Ben Caspit.
Netanyahu initiated the lawsuit after Ben Yitzhak posted on social media in May 2024 claiming the Prime Minister had been treated for pancreatic cancer following a visit to Hadassah Ein Kerem. Netanyahu has denied the allegation, stating he does not suffer from a terminal illness and “certainly not pancreatic cancer.”
Misgav was sued over posts suggesting the public was not being fully informed about Netanyahu’s health condition, while Caspit’s article referenced an alleged claim involving former IDF commander Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amiram Levin, which Netanyahu says never occurred.
Netanyahu disclosed on April 24 that he underwent treatment for prostate cancer while publicizing the results of an annual medical checkup. Netanyahu said he delayed informing the public, arguing that disclosure at the time could have been exploited by Iran to spread propaganda during the war.
At the center of the dispute is a key factual question: when the prostate cancer was first identified. A public medical report dated April 20, 2026, stated that additional testing confirmed an incidental early-stage cancer finding, but did not specify when that testing took place.
Mizrahi noted that he had previously reviewed Netanyahu’s medical file in March 2025 and found no evidence supporting claims raised by the defendants. He also emphasized that earlier attempts to summon Netanyahu’s doctors had been rejected at multiple judicial levels, with courts warning against turning the case into an improper “fishing expedition” into the prime minister’s private medical history.
Under the decision, the envelope must be submitted by May 13 and include a letter signed by Netanyahu’s personal physician, Dr. Tzvi Berkowitz. The letter must confirm that the file reflects Netanyahu’s updated medical condition and attach an original medical document specifying when the prostate cancer was discovered.
Judge Mizrahi also stated that he will later decide whether to summon Berkowitz and Prof. Aharon Popovtzer, head of oncology at Hadassah-University Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem, to testify, following Netanyahu’s own testimony in the case.
The defendants have rejected the allegations of defamation. Ben Yitzhak has argued his posts were based on unanswered public-interest questions, Misgav has described his writings as legitimate commentary and satire on a matter of public concern, and Caspit has said his reporting falls within protected journalistic and legal defenses.
The 76-year-old Prime Minister has been in the news for health issues several times.
In October 2025, Netanyahu was criticized for visiting recuperating Israeli hostages while suffering from bronchitis.
In 2024, Netanyahu underwent prostate surgery after doctors found a small tumor. While recuperating, Netanyahu made headlines for leaving the Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center against the objection of his doctors to personally cast his vote on Knesset legislation. Netanyahu was accompanied by Berkowitz in the plenum.
In 2023, he had a pacemaker implanted after doctors diagnosed a long-standing heart conduction problem. That surgery came days after he was hospitalized for dehydration, though doctors later linked the incident to an undiagnosed heart issue.