Israeli former-president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres has died, some two weeks after suffering a major stroke.
The 93-year-old died overnight, Dr Rafi Walden, who is also Mr Peres's son-in-law, told AFP.
He did not give further details but said a press conference would be held in the coming hours.
World leaders will be among the dignitaries expected to attend his funeral on Friday.
Mr Peres had been in hospital near Tel Aviv since 13 September, when he was admitted feeling unwell and suffered the stroke with internal bleeding.
Israel has been on edge over the health of its last remaining founding father, who had been under sedation and respiratory support in intensive care.
Mr Peres held nearly every major office in the country, serving twice as prime minister and also as president, a mostly ceremonial role, from 2007 to 2014.
Obituary: Shimon Peres, Israel's elder statesman
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.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has paid tribute to Mr Peres, describing him as a "true giant amongst men".
"There will be countless tributes to Shimon Peres over the coming days, but I fear that few, if any, will adequately capture the palpable sense of collective grief felt across the world, nor do justice to the memory of a true giant amongst men," Mr Mirvis said.
"It is true that Shimon Peres was a great statesman. He was the noblest of soldiers, a born leader, a uniquely talented diplomat, an inspiring speaker and a relentless campaigner.
He continued: "But, more significantly than any of those things, Shimon Peres was the greatest living example of an unshakable belief in the pursuit of peace against all odds."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed Mr Peres as a "visionary" and a "champion of Israel's defence".
"Shimon dedicated his life to the rebirth of our people," Mr Netanyahu, who was a political rival of Mr Peres, said in a statement.
"As a visionary he looked to the future. As a champion of Israel's defence, he strengthened its capacities in many ways, some of them still unacknowledged to this day," he added, referring to Mr Peres' role in the development of Israel's undeclared nuclear programme.
US presidents hail legacy of Peres: 'genius with a big heart'
President Barack Obama has hailed Mr Peres as a friend who refused to give up on the dream of peace, while former president Bill Clinton called him "a genius with a big heart."
Mr Obama said Mr Peres' commitment to Israel's security and pursuit of peace was "rooted in his own unshakeable moral foundation and unflagging optimism."
"Perhaps because he had seen Israel surmount overwhelming odds, Shimon never gave up on the possibility of peace between Israelis, Palestinians and Israel's neighbors - not even after the heartbreak of the night in Tel Aviv that took Yitzhak Rabin," Mr Obama said in a White House statement.
"There are few people who we share this world with who change the course of human history, not just through their role in human events, but because they expand our moral imagination and force us to expect more of ourselves," Mr Obama said.
"My friend Shimon was one of those people."
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Mr Clinton, who oversaw the signing of the Oslo Accords that envisioned an independent Palestinian state, said "the Middle East has lost a fervent advocate for peace and reconciliation and for a future where all the children of Abraham build a better tomorrow."
"I'll never forget how happy he was 23 years ago when he signed the Oslo Accords on the White House lawn, heralding a more hopeful era in Israeli-Palestinian relations.
"He was a genius with a big heart who used his gifts to imagine a future of reconciliation not conflict, economic and social empowerment not anger and frustration, and a nation, a region, and a world enhanced by caring and sharing, not torn asunder by the illusions of permanent dominance and perfect truth," Clinton said in a statement.
Mr Clinton noted that Mr Peres' critics called him a "dreamer."
"That he was - a lucid, eloquent dreamer until the very end. Thank goodness. Let those of us who loved him and love his nation keep his dream alive."
Former president George HW Bush also hailed his devotion to peace.
"By his unyielding determination and principle, Shimon Peres time and again helped guide his beloved country through the crucible of mortal challenge.
"But it was by his innate humanity, his decency, that Shimon inspired the world over and helped pave a path to peace broad enough that future generations will walk it one day, side-by side," he said in a statement.
His son, former president George W Bush, said Mr Peres led his country "with a deep and abiding concern for his people and a commitment to freedom and peace."
"The Bush family will miss Shimon Peres and his grace, dignity, and optimism."
President Michael D Higgins said Mr Peres' "life and political actions were shaped by his deep commitment to his ideals, by his wisdom and by dedication to his country and to peace in the region."
Mr Higgins continued: "His life mirrored some of the great dramas of 20th Century Europe and the Middle East and he shall be remembered for his courage that saw him change course from confrontation to reconciliation."
Sad at the passing of Shimon Peres. Courageous & brave In a career of 7 decades. Recipient of Nobel Peace prize for his tireless work. pic.twitter.com/gMF8OxeeHQ
— Charlie Flanagan (@CharlieFlanagan) September 28, 2016
