Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei denied on late Thursday a report of Israeli Television Channel II which said that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat had died.
"The report is not true," Qurei said, adding Arafat is still alive and getting treatment at Parcy Hospital in France.
Palestinian officials in Ramallah said Arafat's wife Suha and the five Palestinian officials accompanying him will make an official statement saying that Arafat is still alive.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a top aide to Arafat who is also accompanying him to the hospital has declared for the first time that Arafat's health has critically deteriorated.
Palestinian officials, including former minister of internal security Mohamed Dahlan and Arafat's Bureau chief of Staff Tayeb Abdel Rahim also denied the reports and said Arafat was anesthetized for speculums.
The Israeli TV channel said on Thursday night that Arafat is in "clinical death" based on reliable French sources who said that there were differences among Arafat's doctors on whether to officially declare that the 75-year-old Palestinian leader passed away.