The Prime Minister's Office has disclosed that it spent approximately NIS 386,000 on medical personnel accompanying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on overseas trips since 2023, following a Freedom of Information request.
According to a report by Ynet, the expenses covered 14 trips and included approximately NIS 333,000 in medical staff contracts, per diem payments and accommodation, along with another NIS 53,000 for flights.
The most expensive year was 2025, when the medical travel expenses reached NIS 170,335. The figures were released in response to a request by the Movement for Freedom of Information, marking the first time the Prime Minister's Office has disclosed details of its arrangements with medical professionals accompanying Netanyahu abroad.
The travel expenses are separate from the annual payment to Dr. Herman Berkowitz, who heads Netanyahu's medical team. His contract, which began on January 1, 2023, provides for NIS 2,500 per month, or NIS 30,000 annually, plus VAT. He also receives insurance reimbursements.
According to the Prime Minister's Office, until 2023 Netanyahu traveled with only the regular medical personnel assigned to Unit 730, consisting of a doctor and a paramedic. Since the beginning of that year, an additional medical team headed by Berkowitz has accompanied him on foreign trips.
The team included two cardiologists, an urologist and a pacemaker technician.
Among them, cardiologist Dr. Eyal Heller of Sheba Medical Center accompanied Netanyahu on six trips, at a total cost of NIS 149,009. Cardiologist Dr. Tzvi Sirotkin traveled with the prime minister three times, costing NIS 110,363, while pacemaker technician Chen Kabesa accompanied him twice, at a cost of NIS 41,075. Urologist Prof. Mordechai Duvdevani of Hadassah Medical Center traveled three times in 2025, costing NIS 32,817.
The most expensive individual trip was Sirotkin's September 2023 visit to New York, which cost NIS 22,313 in contract and per diem expenses, in addition to NIS 26,573 in accommodation costs.
The Prime Minister's Office said the medical personnel did not pay for their own flights because they were considered part of the prime minister's official delegation. The cost was calculated at $1,200 per doctor for a round-trip ticket, bringing the total airfare bill to $16,800.
For comparison, the medical team serving former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid cost NIS 21,060, including VAT, during their time in office. Their medical team was headed by Prof. Gad Segal, and no separate arrangements were made for doctors to accompany their overseas trips.
Political commentator defends Netanyahu
The disclosure drew criticism on social media, but political commentator Attila Somfalvi took a different view.
"Perfectly fine, there's no problem with this at all," Somfalvi wrote on Wednesday, responding to the figures.
The Movement for Freedom of Information, which obtained the figures, raised broader questions about transparency surrounding the prime minister's medical fitness.
Its CEO, attorney Hidi Negev, said the public should receive comprehensive information about the ability of a serving prime minister to fulfill his duties, particularly when no permanent replacement has been appointed.
Negev noted that Netanyahu has passed the age of 77 and argued that every candidate for prime minister should provide the public with an independent assessment of their physical and cognitive fitness for the position.
