JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that he has undergone treatment for prostate cancer in his first public acknowledgment of the diagnosis.
He said that roughly a year and a half ago he had prostate surgery. Then two and a half months ago, his doctors discovered and treated a small tumor at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital with radiation therapy. That was not announced at the time.
“I requested to delay its publication by two months so that it would not be released at the height of the war” against Iran, the 76-year-old Israeli leader said, to prevent “more false propaganda against Israel.”
He said he was healthy and called the tumor a “minor medical issue.”
Netanyahu's health was the subject of speculation during the early weeks of the war with Iran as fake, AI-generated images circulated suggesting he had died, including on Iranian state media.
Aharon Popovtser, the director of Hadassah Hospital’s oncology unit, said Netanyahu was diagnosed at an early stage, noting that prostate cancer is common among men his age.
“We can say based on the findings of these tests that the disease has disappeared,” he said, referring to imaging and blood work.
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister — who is overseeing not just the war in Iran but also conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon — has faced criticism in the past for not disclosing information about his health, including when he told the public he had a pacemaker implanted to address a long-standing heart condition a week after he fainted at a public appearance.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony commemorating Israel's Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers, or Yom HaZikaron, at the Military Cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, Tuesday April 21, 2026. (Ilia Yefimovich/Pool Photo via AP)
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony commemorating Israel's Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers, or Yom HaZikaron, at the Military Cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, Tuesday April 21, 2026. (Ilia Yefimovich/Pool Photo via AP)
MADRID (AP) — Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz won’t attempt to defend his French Open title due to a right wrist injury.
Alcaraz posted on X on Friday that neither would he play in the preceding Italian Open in Rome, where he also won last year.
No. 2-ranked Alcaraz was injured at the Barcelona Open this month during his first-round win and withdrew the day after.
He pulled out of this week's Madrid Open and attended the Laureus World Sports Awards in the Spanish capital on Monday with his wrist immobilized. Alcaraz was named world sportsman of the year at the gala.
Alcaraz confirmed he was a no-go for Paris after undergoing more medical tests on Friday.
"After the results of the tests carried out today, we have decided that the most prudent thing is to be cautious and not participate in Rome and Roland Garros," he wrote on X. “It's a complicated moment for me, but I'm sure we'll come out stronger from here.”
Alcaraz started the year in sensational form, beating Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final. That made him the youngest man ever to win all four major titles in tennis.
He has won only one title since — at Doha in February — and will be without a title in the major clay-court events. He lost the Monte Carlo final to Jannik Sinner at the start of this month and surrendered the No. 1 ranking to his Italian rival.
Last year, Alcaraz beat Sinner in the finals of the Italian Open and French Open, where he saved three match points in an epic match. Alcaraz then lost the Wimbledon final to Sinner before beating him again in the U.S. Open final.
The Italian Open starts on May 6. The French Open does so on May 18.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
FILE - Spain's Carlos Alcaraz towels off during the final of the French Open tennis tournament against Italy's Jannik Sinner, Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, File)
FILE - Spain's Carlos Alcaraz caresses with the trophy after defeating Italy's Jannik Sinner in the final of the French Open tennis tournament, Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Paris. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
FILE - Spain's Carlos Alcaraz reacts during the final of the French Open tennis tournament against Italy's Jannik Sinner, Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Paris. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
Carlos Alcaraz poses with his Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award during the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony in Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
