JERUSALEM (JTA) — Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s condition has further deteriorated, hospital officials said.
Sharon is in an “immediate, life-threatening critical condition,” officials at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv said in a statement Thursday afternoon.
Sharon is reportedly suffering from multiple organ failure according to reports.
“Over the past hours, there has been a worsening of the condition of former prime minister Ariel Sharon. His condition is described as grave and his family is at his side all the time,” the hospital statement said.
Sharon’s family was called to his side last week after doctors first announced that his condition had worsened.
Sharon, 85, has been in a coma-like state since he had a major stroke in January 2006. With the exception of a short furlough to his ranch in Israel’s Negev Desert, Sharon has remained at Sheba since his stroke.
Last week, doctors announced that after remaining stable for nearly eight years, Sharon’s condition had begun to decline.
