FILE -- In this Sunday Jan. 30, 2005 file photo, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pauses during the weekly cabinet meeting in his Jerusalem office. 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, Pool, File)
January 01, 2014 - 9:15 AM
JERUSALEM - Israeli media are reporting that the condition of comatose former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has taken a turn for the worse.
Channel 10 TV said Sharon's medical condition deteriorated Wednesday. It said Sharon was suffering from kidney problems.
Repeated calls to officials at Tel Hashomer hospital in central Israel were not answered, and Sharon's son, Omri, refused to comment.
In September, Sharon underwent surgery to insert a new feeding tube.
Sharon was at the height of his political power in early 2006 when a devastating stroke incapacitated him. The 85-year-old has been in a coma since then, connected to a respirator. His family has said that he sometimes opens his eyes and moves his fingers.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014