Former Israeli President Shimon Peres has died at the age of 93.
He served twice as Israel’s prime minister and once as president.
Shimon Peres suffered a stroke two weeks ago. His condition had improved before a sudden deterioration on September 27.
His son, Chemi Peres, led tributes to “one of the founding fathers of the state of Israel” who “worked tirelessly” for it.
World figures are expected to attend Shimon Peres’ funeral in Jerusalem on September 29, including President Barack Obama, Prince Charles and Pope Francis.
Shimon Peres was one of the last of a generation of Israeli politicians present at Israel’s birth in 1948.
He won the Nobel Peace prize in 1994 for his role negotiating peace accords with the Palestinians a year earlier.
Shimon Peres once said the Palestinians were Israel’s “closest neighbors” and might become its “closest friends”.
He died in a hospital near Tel Aviv early on September 28, with his family at his bedside.
Shimon Peres had been in the intensive care unit of the Sheba Medical Centre after suffering a major stroke on September 13.
The funeral will be held at Mount Herzl, Israel’s national cemetery in Jerusalem.
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UK PM Theresa May have all confirmed they will attend, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said.
President Barack Obama called Shimon Peres his “dear friend” in a statement, and said: “He was guided by a vision of the human dignity and progress that he knew people of goodwill could advance together.”
Israel ex-President Shimon Peres has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke.
The 93-year-old has been rushed to a hospital outside Tel Aviv. He has been sedated and is breathing with the help of a respirator, his office said. He is now expected to undergo a CT scan.
Shimon Peres had been described as conscious and stable when he arrived at the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer.
In January, the former president underwent successful minor surgery at the same hospital after suffering a small heart attack.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted: “Shimon, we love you and the entire nation is wishing for your recovery.”
Shimon Peres has held almost every major political office since Israel was founded in 1948, and was the architect of Israel’s secret nuclear program.
He twice served as prime minister and was president from 2007 to 2014.
Shimon Peres won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his role negotiating the Oslo peace accords with the Palestinians a year earlier, a prize he shared with PM Yitzhak Rabin, who was later assassinated, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Despite his age, Shimon Peres has maintained an active public schedule, mostly through his non-governmental Peres Centre for Peace, which promotes closer ties between Israel and the Palestinians.
Israel’s ex-President Shimon Peres has been taken to hospital after suffering chest pains, 10 days after he had a small heart attack.
Shimon Peres, 92, underwent minor surgery last week for a constricted artery.
A spokeswoman said on January 24 that Shimon Peres was readmitted to a Tel Aviv hospital “for observation and testing”.
The former president was not due to undergo any invasive procedures, Haaretz reported.
Shimon Peres twice served as Israel’s prime minister and was president from 2007 to 2014.
On January 24, he was found by doctors to have an irregular heartbeat, his spokeswoman said.
Shimon Peres won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his role negotiating the Oslo peace accords with the Palestinians a year earlier, a prize he shared with PM Yitzhak Rabin, who was later assassinated, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
He was defeated in the 1996 election by the head of the opposition Likud, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Shimon Peres has held almost every major political office since Israel was founded in 1948, and was the architect of Israel’s secret nuclear program in 1959.
Despite his age, Shimon Peres has maintained an active public schedule, mostly through his non-governmental Peres Center for Peace, which promotes closer ties between Israel and the Palestinians.
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