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FILE - In this Tuesday Dec. 27, 2005 file photo, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon takes part in the lighting of the fourth Hanukkah candle, at his Jerusalem office. Sharon, the hard-charging Israeli general and prime minister who was admired and hated for his battlefield exploits and ambitions to reshape the Middle East, died Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. He was 85. AP photo
Former prime minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, 85, passed away Saturday after being comatose for eight years, media reported.
Sharon died at the Sheba Medical Centre in the city of Ramat Gan in Tel Aviv district of Israel after his condition deteriorated over the past two weeks.
His family, including his sons Omri and Gilad, were with him during his final moments, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The Israeli prime minister's office will organise a state funeral for Sharon.
Media from around the world has gathered at the hospital for the official announcement of Sharon's death, the Post report said.
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