Former Israeli PM Sharon has feeding tube operation

Former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon has undergone surgery to insert a new feeding tube.

The hour-long procedure was pre-planned and there was no change in Mr Sharon’s condition, according to officials at Tel Hashomer hospital in central Israel.

Mr Sharon, who is in a coma and cannot swallow, receives fluids through the tube.

He 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 ever since, connected to a respirator.

His family has said that he sometimes opens his eyes and moves his fingers.