Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon showed "improvement" today in his recovery from a massive stroke, moving his left arm in response to stimulation.
But doctors said it would be days before they would be able to assess whether he has lost his ability to think and reason.
Mr Sharon's life was no longer in immediate danger and when his sons spoke to him, he responded with an increase in blood pressure, his doctors said.
"I think compared with recent days ... there are significant changes in the prime minister's condition, but we still have a long way to go, and we have to be patient," said Dr Yoram Weiss, one of Mr Sharon's anaesthesiologists.
Mr Sharon (77) suffered a massive stroke last Wednesday and underwent three surgeries to stop haemorrhaging on the right side of his brain. He has been kept in a medically induced coma since the stroke to give him time to recover.
Israelis were stunned by Mr Sharon's stroke, intensely following the news of his condition. Many gathered in synagogues over the Sabbath to offer prayers for his recovery.
Mr Sharon's son Omri came out of the hospital today to offer his thanks to Israelis, the hospital and the prime minister's doctors.
"I came to thank, in the name of my family, the citizens of Israel, who since Wednesday have supported us with their concern, with warm and loving prayers for the well-being of my father," he said.
Also today, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to check on Mr Sharon's condition, according to Mr Olmert's office.
Mr Olmert told her he spoke to hospital officials and was encouraged by Sharon's improvement, the statement said. Rice said she was praying for Sharon's recovery, the statement said.
Doctors began decreasing his sedatives Monday and he began breathing on his own and moved his right arm and leg slightly in response to pain stimulation.
His movement on the right side increased and he also moved his left arm in response to stimulation, said Dr Shlomo Mor-Yosef, the director of Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, where Mr Sharon is being treated.
Movement on Mr Sharon's left side could be very significant because that part of the body is controlled by the right side of the brain, where Mr Sharon's stroke occurred.
AP