Israel’s 93-year old former president, Shimon Peres, is reportedly in a medically-induced coma after suffering a severe stroke with internal bleeding.
Israel’s Haaretz newspaper characterized the stroke as “massive,” and reported:
The head of the hospital said Peres suffered a stroke with significant bleeding. Speaking to reporters outside the hospital, Dr. Itzik Kreiss said Peres underwent several tests and is now in an induced coma and on a respirator.
Close to midnight, it was reported that the hemorrhage was believed to have stopped and that Peres’ condition stabilized. According to the head of the hospital’s stroke unit, Prof. David Orion, it was the right hemisphere of the brain that was damaged. “The damage isn’t the main issue currently. We’re working on getting him to a state in which his life won’t be in jeopardy,” Orion told Haaretz.
The Jerusalem Post has more on the onset:
The veteran 93-year-old politician had just last week undergone placement of a cardiac pacemaker at the hospital and was discharged in good condition. He returned to the hospital for a checkup, but suddenly suffered a stroke.
…It is also unknown whether there was any connection between the insertion of the pacemaker – to ensure a regular heartbeat – and the stroke.
Sheba director-general Prof. Yitzhak Kreiss said that Peres, in the intensive care unit, had suffered “lots of bleeding.”
In a somber assessment, Peres’ son, Chemi, told reporters that “in the coming hours, we will have to make decisions,” but he did not offers specifics.
Aaron Klein is Breitbart’s Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio.” Follow him on Twitter @AaronKleinShow. Follow him on Facebook.