Israeli prime minister diagnosed with intestinal inflammation after suffering from food poisoning

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was diagnosed with intestinal inflammation and will have a 3-day rest, his office said on Sunday.

A statement by Netanyahu’s office said that the premier fell ill overnight after being poisoned by spoiled food.

Describing his health condition as good, the office said “under the guidance of his doctors, the prime minister will rest at home for the next three days and manage the affairs of state from there.”

According to Channel 12, the premier will not join Sunday’s Knesset meeting and his trial session before the Tel Aviv District Court scheduled for Monday.

Netanyahu appears before the court twice weekly for his corruption trial.

Netanyahu, whose trial began on May 24, 2020, is the first sitting Israeli leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant in the country’s history.

He also faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over atrocities in Gaza, where nearly 59,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 2023.