Comatose former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon's condition has further deteriorated, a hospital official confirmed on Thursday, dpa reported.
"His situation has worsened," an official at Tel Hashomer Sheba hospital near Tel Aviv told dpa on the condition of anonymity.
He referred to Thursday's deterioration as "significant" and "dramatic", but refused to give further details.
The 85-year-old has been in a coma for eight years after suffering a stroke and brain haemorrhage during a re-election campaign he was tipped to win.
His condition deteriorated two months ago because of an infection, reportedly around his feeding tube, that resulted in kidney failure and then general organ failure.
His condition has been described as "critical" - with doctors referring to an "immediate danger" to his life - for more than a week now.
His two adult sons and other friends and relatives have been by his bedside for the duration.
Sharon, who had a long and controversial military and political career, was prime minister from 2001 to 2006. Israel's unilateral pull-out from the Gaza Strip in 2005 was one of the most contentious policies of his tenure.