Hospital official: Former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon is in critical condition, his life in danger
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE -- In this Sunday May 16, 2004 file photo, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pauses during a news conference in his Jerusalem office regarding education reform. On Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014 the condition of the comatose former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has taken a turn for the worse, the hospital treating him said Wednesday. Sharon, 85, has been in a coma since 2006 when a devastating stroke incapacitated him at the height of his political power. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File) (The Associated Press)
The director of the hospital where the comatose former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is being treated says he is in critical condition and his life is in danger.
Zeev Rotstein of Tel Hashomer hospital said on Thursday that the functioning of "several essential organs" has declined but would not elaborate.
Rotstein says Sharon's condition is "critical" and his "life is in danger."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He said Sharon's family is at his bedside.
The 85-year-old Sharon has been in a coma since 2006 when a devastating stroke incapacitated him at the height of his political power.
Sharon was one of Israel's most iconic and controversial figures. A prominent hard-line voice over the decades, he was elected prime minister in 2001.