Former Israeli president dies aged 93

The former Israeli Prime Minister and President, Shimon Peres, has died at age 93 after suffering a major stroke on 13 September.

His condition had reportedly improved before a sudden deterioration on Tuesday.

He died in a hospital near Tel Aviv early on Wednesday, with his family at his bedside.

His funeral was set for Friday at Mount Herzl, the country's national cemetery in Jerusalem. Yona Bartal, a former personal aide to Peres, said the arrangements were in line with his wishes.

Peres, who was one of the last of a generation of Israeli politicians present at the 1948 creation of the state of Israel, served twice as the country's Prime Minister and once as President.

His son Chemi led tributes referring to his father as "one of the founding fathers of the state of Israel" who "worked tirelessly" for it.

Peres had won the Nobel Peace prize in 1994 for his role negotiating peace accords with the Palestinians a year earlier. He is said to have considered Palestinians as Israel's "closest neighbours" and might become its "closest friends".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his "deep personal grief" in a statement in which he called Peres "the beloved of the nation".

Netanyahu is expected to deliver a personal message later on Wednesday, and the Israeli cabinet will convene for a special mourning session.

Obama was quick to pay his respects, remembering Peres as "our dear friend" and "the essence of Israel itself".

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: "Shimon Peres was, above all, a man of peace. My deepest condolences to his loved ones and to the people of Israel on his passing."

Magistrate Joe Mifsud told MaltaToday that he was shocked to hear the news of Peres’ passing, even though he was expecting it.

“I had the opportunity to work with Peres on the direct centre on peace. We had organised a workshop for young Israeli and Palestinian peace leaders in Malta. These youths were then the vehicles of peace in their communities,” Mifsud said.

He added that Peres’ death was a great loss. “We lost another great contributor to peace. This is a day of great sadness to the people of Israel, and in my opinion, of Palestine too. I continue to show my solidarity with the people who knew and worked with him.”

According to the Israeli foreign ministry, Obama, former US President Bill Clinton and his wife, presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, the pope and the UK's Prince Charles are among those who will attend Peres' funeral.