Prominent Palestinian leader Saeb Erekat's health has deteriorated and he is in critical condition, the Israeli hospital where he is being treated for Covid-19-related complications says.
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Erekat, 65, was on Sunday transferred from his West Bank hometown to Jerusalem's Hadassah hospital.
"Mr Erekat passed a quiet night, but this morning there has been a deterioration in his condition, which is now defined as critical. And because of respiratory distress he is anaesthetised and on a respirator," said a statement from the hospital.
The long-time chief Palestinian negotiator, who is secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month.
Erekat, one of the most visible Palestinian officials on the world stage and a top aide to President Mahmoud Abbas, had a lung transplant in a US hospital in 2017.
"Following his contraction of Covid-19, and due to the chronic health problems he faces in the respiratory system, Dr Erekat's condition now requires medical attention in a hospital," a PLO Negotiations Affairs Department statement said.
Australian Associated Press
