The elder statesman went into severe organ failure on Tuesday morning, "The Jerusalem Post" reported just a few days after Peres' office said he was in a stable condition.

The paper cited sources close to the Nobel Peace Prize winner as saying he was suffering irreversible brain damage.

"The president is fighting for his life," an anonymous source for the former Israel president told the AFP news agency.

His condition dramatically worsened two weeks after he suffered a major stroke subsequently being hospitalized near Tel Aviv on September 13.

Peres was admitted to the hospital feeling unwell. He has been under sedation and respiratory support in intensive care.

His close family was at his bedside on Tuesday, "The Jerusalem Post" newspaper said.

A dominant force in Israeli politics for at least 60 years, Peres held both the role of prime minister and president, and is widely known for his efforts towards peace in the Middle East.

He won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for his role in negotiating the Oslo Accords, which envisioned an independent Palestinian state.

His weakening health prompted an outpouring of support from across the world, including from Pope Francis, US President Barack Obama, the Clinton family, Donald Trump, Britain's ex-premier, Tony Blair, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Peres was hospitalized twice in January because of heart trouble.

mm/kms (AFP, dpa)