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Ariel Sharon in critical condition

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who had been comatose since a 2006 stroke, is in critical condition and near death, according to hospital officials and his long-time spokesman.

By JC Finley
A life-size art installation of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon lying comatose in a hospital bed, by Israeli artist Noam Braslavsky, is displayed before the opening in the Kishon Gallery in Tel Aviv, October 19, 2010. Ariel Sharon has been in a coma since suffering a massive stroke in January 2006. Doctors announced his health had deteriorated in early January 2014. (UPI/Debbie Hill)
1 of 2 | A life-size art installation of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon lying comatose in a hospital bed, by Israeli artist Noam Braslavsky, is displayed before the opening in the Kishon Gallery in Tel Aviv, October 19, 2010. Ariel Sharon has been in a coma since suffering a massive stroke in January 2006. Doctors announced his health had deteriorated in early January 2014. (UPI/Debbie Hill) | License Photo

The health of Israeli former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma for almost eight years, has deteriorated and he is now in critical condition at Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer hospital outside Tel Aviv.

Ra'anan Gissin, Sharon's spokesman for fifteen years, described the former prime minister's condition: "there is no doubt that it is terminal. We can't see any recovery or improvement in his health condition."

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Hospital spokesman Amir Maron announced "His condition continues to be critical, and doctors note a number of central systems in his body are not functioning." Sharon's bedside is surrounded by close family members.

Sharon has been in a vegetative state since 2006 following a stroke. He is fed intravenously and is able to breathe on his own. In January 2013, his doctors discovered that his brain reacted to external stimuli, indicating he might be able to hear and see.

Sharon was prime minister from 2001 to 2006.

[The Jerusalem Post] [CNN] [New York Times]

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