Netanyahu hospitalised after feeling unwell during Yom Kippur synagogue service

Israel’s opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu felt unwell during a Yom Kippur service Wednesday evening and after checks at the synagogue where he was praying, he was taken to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center.

He was still in the hospital later Wednesday night, where he was undergoing tests. His doctor, Zvi Herman Berkowitz, was quoted in Hebrew media saying he looked “excellent, not even pale.”

According to a statement on behalf of the Likud party leader, Netanyahu, 72, began to feel unwell during prayers, at Jerusalem’s Great Synagogue.

The statement said he underwent a number of checks at the synagogue which came out normal, before deciding to go to the city’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center.

A second statement said that Netanyahu was fasting at the time that he felt unwell.

According to an unsourced report from the Kan public broadcaster, Netanyahu suffered from chest pains.

He was driven to the hospital by his driver.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement that he wished Netanyahu a speedy recovery.

Israel goes to its fifth election in less than four years on November 1. Netanyahu is bidding to oust Lapid, having been prime minister for 12 consecutive years from 2009-21.

Yom Kippur began on Tuesday at sundown and ended Wednesday night. Also known as the Day of Atonement, the holiday is marked by a 25-hour fast.

Paramedics annually treat hundreds who faint, are dehydrated, or feel ill due to the fast.

Israel shuts down every year on Yom Kippur, with public transportation, government services and television broadcasters ceasing operations for the duration of the holiday.