Peres’s condition deteriorates further; family to address media
Doctors say former president and PM ‘fighting for his life,’ as sources close to him fear he is in his ‘final hours’
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Former president and prime minister Shimon Peres suffered another rapid deterioration to his condition overnight Tuesday-Wednesday, hours after doctors said he was “fighting for his life,” and summoned family members to say their final goodbyes.
Peres’s family was expected to address the media early Wednesday morning, Channel 10 reported.
On Tuesday evening, doctors at Tel Hashomer Hospital where Peres has been hospitalized since suffering a major stroke two weeks ago said that the 93-year-old was now “fighting for his life” in critical condition. He has suffered irreversible brain damage, reports Tuesday evening said, and there is concern of multiple system failure.
Sources close to Shimon Peres said they believe “these are the former president’s final hours.”
Peres stopped receiving life saving treatment and was unconscious and in grave condition.
President Reuven Rivlin, in Ukraine for a state visit, told reporters that he was praying for the health of “my friend Shimon Peres.”
“My concern right now is with… Peres who is fighting for his life at these very moments.”
Opposition leader Isaac Herzog and Shas head Aryeh Deri visited Peres in hospital Tuesday evening, each speaking briefly to the media afterwards.
“Peres’s condition continues to be very serious and the lack of progress at this stage is a source for worry,” doctors at the Sheba Medical Center outside Tel Aviv said earlier Tuesday.
Doctors said his breathing, kidney function and several other indexes had dropped, raising concerns that he could be heading for multiple organ failure.
“The president is fighting for his life,” a source close to Peres told AFP on condition of anonymity. “His health position is very, very difficult. His doctors are worried about his health.”
His spokesperson could not be reached for comment.
Peres was hospitalized at the Sheba Medical Center on September 13 after suffering a major stroke. He has been under sedation since then, with doctors reporting slight progress in his condition.
News of Peres’s stroke earlier this month sent shockwaves through the country, which feared the imminent loss of the last surviving link to its founding fathers.
Over a seven-decade career, the elder statesman of Israeli politics and one of the country’s most admired symbols has held virtually every senior political office, including two stints as prime minister and extended terms as foreign, defense and finance minister. He won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in reaching an interim peace agreement with the Palestinians.
Long a divisive personality in politics, Peres finally became one of Israel’s most popular public figures in his later years.
World leaders sent wishes of a speedy recovery to the former president, recalling his achievements and warm personality.
Peres recently underwent surgery to receive an artificial pacemaker after he was diagnosed with an abnormal heart rhythm in July following a series of minor health scares. The implant was recommended by Peres’s doctors, including personal physician Rafi Walden, after he was diagnosed in July with atrial fibrillation.
He suffered a mild heart attack in January and underwent a cardiac angioplasty to open a blocked artery. He had been hospitalized twice after suffering chest pains.
The Times of Israel Community.