Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is running in the November 1 legislative elections, left a Jerusalem hospital Thursday morning, where he underwent tests after falling ill during a religious ceremony the day before, his office said.
Netanyahu, who will turn 73 in two weeks, “felt unwell” while attending early Wednesday evening a prayer service in a synagogue marking Yom Kippur, one of the major holidays in the Hebrew calendar.
Netanyahu’s office did not specify in detail the nature of the illness, but Israeli media reported “chest pain,” and the former prime minister went to Shaare Zedek Hospital for comprehensive examinations, according to “AFP.”
His office said that he “felt unwell while praying in the temple, and underwent a series of tests on the site, which were normal, and he is now feeling well,” according to “Reuters”.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid had wished “a speedy and complete recovery” for Netanyahu, his rival in the legislative elections, according to “AFP”.
The Israelis were called to vote on November 1 in the fifth elections in three and a half years in a legislative vote that could mark the return of Netanyahu, who served as prime minister for the longest term in Israel’s history, according to “AFP”.
He left power in the spring of 2021 to a diverse coalition led by Lapid, and opinion polls indicate that Likud (right), Netanyahu’s party, accused of corruption in a series of issues, is at the forefront in voting intentions, with just over thirty seats out of 120 in the Knesset (parliament). ).
The former prime minister, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, leads a bloc of right-wing and religious parties ahead of the general elections, and has vowed to return to the political scene despite being tried on corruption charges he denies, according to “Reuters”.