Ramallah, Palestine — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas remained in hospital for a third day Tuesday with pneumonia, with a hospital spokeswoman saying there was as yet no timeframe for his discharge.

"He is doing fine but still needs to take care," the spokeswoman for the Istishari Arab Hospital near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank told AFP.

"Until now there is no news about a timeframe for when he might leave."

Ahmad Tibi, an Israeli Arab member of parliament, said on Twitter he had visited Abbas late Monday.

"He suffers from pneumonia and is treated with antibiotics," said Tibi, who is also a doctor, adding he was expected to spend "several more days" in hospital.

"Medical tests and X-rays showed the presence of inflammation in the right lung. Treatment began by giving the necessary medication," Dr. Saed Al-Sarahneh, medical director of the private Istishari Medical Center in Ramallah, told Palestine television.

"He is now responding to the treatment quickly and is recovering," the doctor said.

The veteran leader allowed himself to be filmed by Palestine television on Monday night, after nearly 36 hours in the hospital.

Abbas did not speak in the brief filmed clip that was broadcast Monday night.

Pictures and video of 83-year-old Abbas walking around the wards and reading a newspaper were published late Monday, in an apparent attempt to calm rumors that his condition was more serious than reported.

After two days of sparse updates from medical officials, a series of long-time associates and colleagues visited Abbas on Monday, emerging to give uniformly upbeat assessments of his condition.

Jibril Rajoub, a senior official in Abbas' Fatah party, told Palestine television: "There is a consensus among doctors that the president is out of the danger area and he is well, but he will stay a few more days (in hospital) upon doctors advice."

He said that Abbas had breakfasted with his sons Yasser and Tareq, had "responded well" and was now recovering.

Abbas was hospitalized in the United States for medical checks in February during a trip to address the U.N. Security Council.

Abbas underwent minor ear surgery last Tuesday but went back into al-Istishari Hospital in Ramallah briefly overnight on Saturday/Sunday. He was then rushed back later that day, for what doctors described only as "medical tests."

Abbas won a four-year term as president in 2005, but he has remained in office in the absence of elections. — Agencies