Doctors treating former Israeli President Shimon Peres for a stroke say his condition has slightly improved.

The director of the hospital where Peres was rushed in for treatment after a stroke said his condition remained serious on Wednesday, 24 hours after he was rushed in for treatment.

“I can say that he is still in a critical condition, stable, but we can see some improvement,” said Dr Yitzhak Kreiss. “Mr Peres is from time to time in conscience, he’s awake. We are trying to reduce some of the sedation in order to evaluate him and that is a good sign.”

Kreiss said Peres, who has been in a medically induced coma, has regained consciousness from time to time.

In a career spanning nearly 70 years, Peres has been part of every major development in Israel since the country was founded.

He was twice a Labour prime minister and jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 following an interim Palestinian peace deal, although the pact never hardened into a lasting treaty.