Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu to undergo hernia surgery amid Gaza war

As combat continued nearly six months into the Gaza war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to have surgery on Sunday to repair a hernia, according to his office.

The announcement coincides with mounting public pressure on Netanyahu for not rescuing every hostage still being held by Palestinian terrorists.

According to his office, Yariv Levin, the deputy prime minister and minister of justice, will take over for Netanyahu, 74, while he remains fully sedated.

It further stated that the hernia was found on Saturday during a regular examination by medical professionals, and following discussions, it was decided that the premier would have surgery after finishing his regular activities.

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According to Egyptian media, discussions between Israel and Hamas over a truce were scheduled to restart in Cairo on Sunday. Despite this, a Hamas official raised doubts about the process, as deadly airstrikes hit the Gaza Strip once more.

An relief ship was en route from the Mediterranean island country of Cyprus with 400 tonnes of food as part of a small flotilla to help ease the suffering of Gaza’s 2.4 million inhabitants.

Foreign nations have increased their humanitarian airdrops, but charities and United Nations agencies caution that this is far from meeting the urgent need and that trucks are the most effective means of delivering aid.

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Many individuals have drowned or perished in stampedes while attempting to recover parcels from the ocean.

The world’s highest court declared that “famine is setting in” and ordered Israel to “ensure urgent humanitarian assistance” in Gaza without delay on Thursday.

According to the health ministry in the region governed by Hamas, at least 77 people—mostly women and children—were killed in bombardment and fighting over the course of the preceding 24 hours.

The UN Security Council failed to stop fighting, including in or near hospitals, despite a resolution passed on March 25 that called for a “immediate ceasefire” and the release of all hostages held by terrorists.

Israel’s threats to send ground forces into Gaza’s congested far-southern city of Rafah, as well as the country’s spiraling civilian death toll, have escalated tensions between Israel and its main supporter, the United States.

Despite this, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed officials, that Washington had recently approved billion-dollar weapons and fighter jets for Israel.

In his Easter address, Pope Francis reiterated his request for “the prompt release of the hostages seized on October 7,” the day that Hamas attacked Israel and started the conflict. He also asked that “access to humanitarian aid be ensured to Gaza.”

“For an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, Francis reiterated his plea during a speech at the Vatican.

Israeli official numbers indicates that 1,160 people died in Israel as a result of Hamas’s attack, the majority of them civilians.

The Gaza Health Ministry reports that at least 32,782 individuals have died as a result of Israel’s retaliatory campaign, the majority of whom were women and children.

Additionally, about 250 Israeli and foreign hostages were taken by Palestinian extremists. About 130 people, including 34 presumed dead, are still in Gaza, according to Israeli estimates.

Netanyahu approved a new round of ceasefire negotiations on Friday that will take place in Doha and Cairo in response to strong pressure to release the prisoners.

The negotiations will pick back up in Cairo on Sunday, according to Al-Qahera, an Egyptian TV station that has deep ties to the nation’s intelligence agencies.

Additionally, the person voiced uncertainty that the process would yield results because Netanyahu is “not interested.”

Netanyahu has promised to keep up the battle, deploying troops into Rafah to take on Hamas rebels where over 1.5 million civilians are seeking refuge.

Families and admirers of the hostages detained by Hamas have been holding frequent demonstrations; on Saturday night in Tel Aviv, police used water cannon to put out protesters who set fires and obstructed roads.

Raz Ben Ami, a Hamas captive, said, “Prime minister, on behalf of the hostage men and women, on behalf of the people of Israel, give the negotiators in Qatar the order: Do not return without a deal.”

Anti-government demonstrators and hostage supporters planned to rally again Sunday evening outside the Knesset, the parliament in Jerusalem, and every night until Wednesday, said organisers.

(With agency inputs)