JERUSALEM, Oct 6 — Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is running for re-election next month, left a Jerusalem prayer ceremony on Wednesday after feeling “unwell” but later improved, his office said.
He was spending the night in hospital for observation after undergoing tests.
Netanyahu, who will be 73 this month, “felt unwell” while taking part in prayers as part of the Jewish Yom Kippur holiday in a Jerusalem synagogue, his office said in a statement.
“He underwent a series of tests there which were normal. Now, he is feeling well,” it added.
But “to avoid any doubt”, Netanyahu intended “to go to hospital of his own accord for an examination”, his office said.
The statement did not provide details on the nature of the health incident, but Israeli media reported he had experienced “chest pain”.
Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek hospital shortly afterwards issued a statement saying Netanyahu had been examined there and that the results were “normal”.
“After consultations, it was decided that he would stay overnight for observation,” it added.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Twitter wished his rival a “full and speedy recovery”.
Israel’s November 1 election will be its fifth vote in less than four years.
It could oust the centrist Lapid and see the return of the hawkish Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving premier, who is on trial over corruption charges which he denies.
Lapid was the architect of a motley alliance that ended Netanyahu’s record 12 consecutive years in power in 2021.
The latest opinion polls put Netanyahu’s Likud party in front and set to take more than 30 seats in the 120-member Knesset, or parliament, at the ballot.
The polls suggest his right-wing bloc, which includes allies from ultra-Orthodox parties and the extreme right, is near the 61 seats needed for a majority. — AFP
