The health of three prisoners affiliated with Palestine Action who are on hunger strike has deteriorated significantly, with one entering the third month without food, supporters have reported. Heba Muraisi, 31, is on day 65 of her strike and is experiencing muscle spasms and breathing problems, while Kamran Ahmed, 28, on day 58, has reported intermittent hearing loss. The third prisoner, Lewie Chiaramello, 22, who has type 1 diabetes, has been fasting every other day for 44 days.
Dr James Smith, an emergency physician at University College London, described the three as being “well into the critical phase”, warning that “things can decline very quickly and irreversibly”. Ahmed, held at Pentonville prison and hospitalised for a fifth time last week, said he intends to continue his hunger strike, stating: “Perhaps they wait for me to leave in a body bag or be hospitalised for a sixth time.”
The hunger strike began on 2 November, with demands including immediate bail, an end to the ban on Palestine Action, closure of UK sites of Israeli arms company Elbit Systems, and an end to censorship of prisoners’ communications. The three have spent over 18 months in jail before trial, exceeding the standard six-month pre-trial custody limit. Five other prisoners have paused their hunger strike, with Teuta Hoxha stopping after 60 days on Saturday.
The action is believed to be the largest coordinated hunger strike in the UK since IRA prisoners in 1981, when 10 died. Ahmed said: “I don’t think any of the hunger strikers wish to die, but it’s funny, if I potentially pass away, does it only matter because I have a passport?” He added that watching cooking shows, his Islamic faith, and hearing protests from outside had kept him going.
Dr Smith dismissed scepticism about the strikers’ survival, noting that medical advances and supplementation have prevented catastrophic outcomes so far, but warned of risks including heart problems, infections, and neurological issues. The prisoners minister, James Timpson, stated that prison healthcare teams are monitoring the situation, but ministers will not meet the prisoners, as it would be “unconstitutional and inappropriate” to intervene in ongoing legal cases.
