IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot was released from Rabin Medical Center on Saturday [Jan. 21], after doctors removed a cancerous growth from his prostate earlier this week, the army said.

Surgeons at Petah Tikva’s Rabin Medical Center completed Eisenkot’s surgery on Thursday, having discovered the cancerous tumor in his prostate gland late last year. The prostatectomy appears to have been a success. The army chief was sent home to continue the recovery process before he returns to work, likely sometime early next month.

Eisenkot thanked the hospital, the medical staff and Prof. Jack Baniel, a noted urologist and deputy head of the Rabin's Davidoff Cancer Center, “for their dedicated care,” the army said in a statement.

The army initially refused to divulge the nature of Eisenkot’s condition, citing his right to privacy, but following the operation, the army revealed that he had a form of prostate cancer. The tumor was discovered by his doctor two months ago, but had not affected his ability to serve, an IDF source said. (Article from The Times of Israel: January 21, 2017)