Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is having his prostate removed on Sunday, his office said, a procedure that comes as he juggles multiple crises, including the ongoing war in Gaza and his trial for alleged corruption.

Netanyahu, 75, is one of a group of aging world leaders, including the United States President Joe BidenPresident-elect Donald Trump, 82, and 78, whose health and fitness are under intense scrutiny at home and abroad because of their advanced age and the influence it could have on their leadership.

The Israeli prime minister, who has suffered a series of health problems in recent years, has gone to great lengths to bolster his public image as a healthy, energetic leader, boasting of working 18-hour days during his trial this month.

But as Israel's longest-serving leader, such a heavy workload during 17 years in power can also take its toll.

Netanyahu's lawyer, Amit Haddad, said in a letter to the court that the Israeli prime minister would be completely sedated and hospitalized for “several days,” asking for his three days of testimony this week. was cancelled. The court agreed.

With so much at stake in the troubled region, Netanyahu's office said Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a close ally, would serve as acting prime minister during the proceedings.

According to Netanyahu's office, the Israeli leader was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection from a benign prostate enlargement on Wednesday. The infection was successfully treated with antibiotics, but a procedure on Sunday will remove his prostate, probably through endoscopic surgery, Dr. Shai Golan, Israel's medical rabbi, told Israel Army Radio. head of the center's oncological urology service.

Netanyahu insists he is in excellent health, and his office has worked to create a public image to back it up, releasing footage of him walking around war zones in full protective gear.

But he has had several health problems in the past, including a heart condition that led to fainting spells and a pacemaker to control his heartbeat.

The news came in July 2023 as Netanyahu was dealing with mass anti-government protests. on the program of the overhaul of the legal system. Also last year, he was rushed to hospital, doctors said, possibly due to dehydration, where he stayed overnight, delaying his weekly cabinet meeting.

Earlier this year, Netanyahu underwent hernia surgery, during which he was in a state of complete anesthesia and unconsciousness. Levin, acting prime minister during the operation at the time, was his justice minister.

Netanyahu will be in the hospital when there are international mediators Pushing Israel and Hamas to a ceasefire In Gaza, as violence there rages, and fighting between Israel and Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels escalates.