A Palestine Action activist on a hunger strike for 69 days is now at serious risk of death, according to warnings from the group and medical experts.
Deteriorating Health in Custody
Heba Muraisi, 31, has refused food at HMP New Hall in Yorkshire following her arrest for alleged break-ins and criminal damage. She has reportedly lost over 10 kilograms, suffers from severe headaches, lightheadedness, and is struggling to breathe. A friend described her as "very gaunt" and "physically exhausted," noting her cheekbones have become very prominent.
Her next of kin, Francesca Nadin, stated Muraisi is having difficulty thinking clearly but remains mentally strong. Notably, Muraisi has now surpassed the duration of the 1981 hunger strike by IRA prisoner Bobby Sands, who died in custody.
The Largest Hunger Strike in Decades
This protest marks the largest collective hunger strike in the UK since 1981, when ten IRA prisoners died. Initially, eight activists from Palestine Action began refusing food. However, five have since suspended their strike due to health concerns. One participant has switched to an intermittent fast because of an underlying medical condition.
Only three individuals continue the full hunger strike: Heba Muraisi, Teuta Hoxha, and Kamran Ahmad. The protesters' lawyers argue that by the time their trials are held, they will have spent more than a year in pre-trial custody.
Serious Charges and Ministerial Response
The activists face serious allegations. Hoxha has been awaiting trial for 13 months over charges including criminal damage, aggravated burglary, and violent disorder at an Elbit Systems factory in Filton, near Bristol. The incident allegedly caused over £1 million in damage and left a prison officer with a fractured spine.
Other charges relate to an alleged break-in at RAF Brize Norton, where activists reportedly sprayed red paint into the engines of two Airbus Voyager aircraft. All defendants deny the charges against them.
Prisons Minister Lord Timpson emphasised that remand decisions are made by independent judges. He stated, "Ministers will not meet with them - we have a justice system that is based on the separation of powers... It would be entirely unconstitutional and inappropriate for ministers to intervene." He also countered claims that hospital care was being refused, stating NHS prison teams continuously monitor the situation.
Medical Risks and Political Demands
Leading neurologist Dr David Nicholl, who has studied prison hunger strikes for twenty years, warned the biggest immediate risk is "refeeding syndrome," where a sudden reintroduction of food can prove fatal after prolonged starvation.
The strikers' demands extend beyond their individual cases. They vow to continue until Palestine Action is "de-proscribed," the UK ends support for companies supplying weapons to Israel, and they are granted immediate bail or transferred to prisons closer to their families for visits.
With Muraisi's body reportedly at a point where it "could fail at any moment," the situation at HMP New Hall remains critically tense.
