TEL AVIV, Jan 5: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was fighting for his life after suffering a massive brain haemorrhage on Wednesday night, throwing his country into turmoil barely three months before a general election likely to determine the future of Middle East peacemaking.

The 77-year-old Sharon was placed in a deep coma after undergoing seven hours of surgery on Thursday before doctors were able to halt bleeding in his brain, but he remained in a critical condition.

Palestinian leaders have expressed fears that Mr Sharon’s departure from the political scene could plunge the region into more bloodshed.—AFP