Questions and doubts are raging over whether ousted president Hosni Mubarak is dead, has one foot in the grave or his health condition is completely stable after renowned TV presenter Ibrahim Eissa revealed the 83-year-old had come close to death Sunday morning.

In his show on Tahrir TV Monday, Eissa quoted a “reliable source” as saying that Mubarak had suffered heart failure and fell off his bed trying to call his doctor. Ironically, according to the story, the doctor had also sustained a heart problem and passed out while trying to help Mubarak up.
 
Later on Suzanne Thabet, Mubarak’s wife, brought another doctor who restarted the ousted president's heart using electric shocks. Eissa said Mubarak's heart stopped for a couple of minutes and he is now on a ventilator.

Eissa, who has never made his loathing of Mubarak a secret, wondered aloud on his program whether people would start to show sympathy for the former president, and how his “deteriorating health” might affect the political landscape.

The famous journalist also had questions concerning Mubarak's death, which he says seems to be imminent. “Would he be given a military funeral? Would his sons be allowed to attend it? Would his death herald the end of the revolution?” asked Eissa.

On social media websites Twitter and Facebook, Eissa’s controversial story on Mubarak was mainly met by sarcasm and scepticism.

One of those who just made fun of the news was Fatma Abed, who said on Twitter: “Zombie Mubarak died for two minutes and was resurrected.”

Another twitter user, Adel_Salib, said: “Ibrahim Eissa said Mubarak’s heart stopped today and Farid El-Dib [Mubarak’s lawyer] confirmed the news and says that it stopped for a couple of minutes in homage to the martyrs.”

A sarcastic cartoon was intensively twitted of Mubarak wearing shades and lying on a water mattress in the middle of a swimming pool near Sham El-Sheikh International Hospital as a major general from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces offers him fruit juice.

Some conspiracy theorists said the allegations about Mubarak's health were invented to rouse sympathy for the former president. Others believe that Mubarak is already dead and the story was made to pave the way for the announcement to that effect.  

Over the past month, Mubarak’s heath has reportedly been fluctuating. He was understood to be in stable condition right before Eissa claimed otherwise.