Netanyahu’s health under speculation after weekend hospital stay

Speculations concerning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s health are growing after the premier was admitted to Sheba Medical Center over the weekend after feeling unwell and fainting.

In a brief message to the public, Netanyahu said he was feeling well and had merely suffered the effects of dehydration following his visit to the Sea of Galilee region, known for its soaring hot temperatures during the summer.

He was released from the hospital after less than 24 hours with a good report and a Holter heart monitor implanted under the skin of his left chest area as a precautionary measure.

The medical team reportedly implanted the subcutaneous device to continue routine follow-up care. The device continually records the electrical activity of the heart, collecting information that can be used to diagnose and detect life-threatening arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats.

The president of the Cardiology Association, Prof. Amit Segev, who is also the director of the Sheba hospital’s cardiology unit, reassured the public on Sunday that the prime minister’s heart was healthy and that “an electrical test of the heart” showed “completely normal” results.

“At no point was any heart arrhythmia [irregular heartbeat] found,” Segev confirmed.

Because the role of Israel’s prime minister is widely considered very challenging, the heart monitor implant raises questions about Netanyahu’s overall health during the last year.

In October 2022, now 73-year-old Netanyahu was admitted to the hospital after feeling not feeling well during the observance of Yom Kippur, which includes 24 hours of fasting.

Furthermore, the prime minister has recently been under considerable domestic and international pressure over his coalition government and its policies, as well as the ongoing controversy surrounding judicial reforms.

“I don’t have all the information on his physical situation, but as far as I understand, he probably fainted at home due to syncope,” said Prof. Shaul Atar, director of the Cardiology Department at the Galilee Medical Center in northern Israel.

Syncope is the medical term for passing out and happens when the blood flow to the brain is insufficient. The condition is normally temporary and can be caused by different factors including dehydration.

“Once a neurological cause is ruled out by CT or MRI, then the likely cause for the fainting would be some kind of heart rhythm disturbance, or what we call a cardiac block. In many cases, it’s benign, but it needs to be checked,” Atar added.

The professor does not believe that Netanyahu merely suffered dehydration but stressed that more tests should be done to assess the prime minister’s overall health.

“They need some definitive answers to know why he was dizzy or fainted. However, it is important to keep in mind that neuro cardiogenic syncope is mostly a very benign situation and may happen infrequently. If that is the case, it doesn’t require any interventions like a pacemaker or drugs,” Atar explained.