terms ‘simple actions’ and is not currently unconscious,” he said.

He said doctors were meeting to decide how to proceed. “The way things seem now, we don’t think surgery in the next few hours would benefit Mr. Peres’ condition,” he said.

Peres is the elder statesman of Israeli politics and the last surviving link to the country’s founding fathers.

Over a seven-decade career, he held virtually every senior political office in Israel, including three terms as prime minister and stints as foreign and finance minister. He won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in reaching an interim peace agreement with the Palestinians.

He had remained active since completing his seven-year term as president in 2014, and even uploaded a video to his Facebook account earlier in the day.

In the video, in which Peres encourages the public to buy locally made products, he appears weary but is otherwise alert and coherent. Channel 10 TV said Peres had also delivered an hour-long lecture earlier in the day.

Earlier this year, Peres was twice hospitalized for heart problems but quickly released. His office said Peres received a pacemaker last week.

As president, a largely ceremonial office, he cultivated an image as the country’s elder statesman and became one of its most popular public figures.

He also became a fixture at international conferences like the World Economic Forum in Davos. Earlier this month, he participated in the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, Italy.

Since leaving the presidency, Peres frequently hosted public events at his peace center, bringing together Arabs and Jews in efforts to promote coexistence.

In a message posted on Facebook, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wished Peres a speedy recovery. “Shimon, we love you and the entire nation wishes you get well,” he said.