Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hospitalized for dehydration amid heat wave

The 73-year-old Israeli Prime Minister said he felt dizziness after spending a holiday at the Sea of Galilee

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been taken to a local hospital after feeling dizzy, his office said, adding that it appeared he was suffering from dehydration as the Middle East country experiences a heat wave.

"Yesterday, I spent the day with my wife in the Sea of Galilee, in the sun, without a hat, with no water," a smiling Netanyahu shared from the hospital Saturday. "It's not a good idea."

The Prime Minister said that he had taken a holiday Friday with his family and temperatures were hitting 38 Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit). 

israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu hospitalized for dehydration amid heat wave

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his constituents that he had been admitted to a local hospital after experiencing mild dizziness. Initial assessments were dehydration. (Israel's Prime Minister Office)

The prime minister's office said in a press release that the 73-year-old prime minister complained of mild dizziness and was admitted to the Sheba Medical Center emergency room on the recommendation of his personal doctor, Dr. Zvi Berkowitz.

The prime minister's office said that Netanyahu's wife Sara and his son, Avner, are with him.

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The office said that initial tests came out as "normal, and no findings were found," adding that the initial assessment was dehydration.

"On the recommendation of the doctors, the prime minister continues to undergo additional routine tests," the prime minister's office said in a statement

His office later said Netanyahu would stay at the hospital overnight for observation.

israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu hospitalized for dehydration amid heat wave

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaves 10 Downing Street after a meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London, March 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Israel is currently in the midst of a fierce heat wave, with temperatures in the mid-30s degrees Celsius, mid-90s in Fahrenheit. 

"I have only one request for you - we're in the midst of a heat wave here in Israel; spend less time in the sun, drink more water, and may we all have a good week," the Prime Minister recommended.

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Israel's longest-serving leader thanked the "fantastic" medical team caring for him as he recovers, assuring his constituents that he feels "very good."

"Praise the Lord, I feel very good," Netanyahu added in his video message.

Israel's head of the opposition and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid wished Netanyahu a "complete recovery" in a translated Twitter post.

"I wish Prime Minister Netanyahu a complete recovery and good health," Lapid wrote in a translated Twitter post. "Feel better."

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a writer on the breaking news team for Fox News Digital. You can reach her on Twitter at @s_rumpfwhitten.

Authored by Sarah Rumpf-Whitten via FoxNews July 15th 2023