Two prisoners linked to the activist group Palestine Action have been admitted to hospital after prolonged hunger strikes, prompting urgent calls from their families and MPs for government action.
Deteriorating Health Sparks Hospitalisation
Amu Gib, 30, and Kamran Ahmed, 28, were taken to hospital over the weekend as their health deteriorated significantly. Gib, who was being held at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey while awaiting trial, is now on day 50 of his hunger strike. Ahmed, detained at HMP Pentonville in London, is on day 42 of his protest.
They are the latest of eight prisoners to require hospital treatment since the collective hunger strike action began on Balfour Day, 2 November, according to the prisoner-led collective Prisoners for Palestine.
MPs and Families Sound Alarm Over Care
The situation has escalated political concern, with MPs writing to the government to highlight delays in medical assistance and severely limited communication with the prisoners' families. Lawyers representing the hunger strikers have criticised Justice Secretary David Lammy for refusing to meet with them.
Jessica Dolliver, a friend and next of kin to Amu Gib, was due to visit him on Sunday morning when she received a call from the prison about his hospital transfer. "I just wasn't surprised because I could see that Amu was deteriorating and I could also hear on the phone," said the 28-year-old.
Gib had written in The Guardian just days earlier, on Friday, expressing his solidarity with Palestinians. It is understood he is on remand suspected of involvement in a break-in at Brize Norton airbase in June, where two military aircraft were defaced with spray paint.
Political Pressure Mounts on Ministers
The former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is Gib's MP and has visited him in detention, wrote to the prisons inspectorate on Sunday. He raised serious concerns over "inconsistent and unreliable" health treatment for those on hunger strike. His letter was co-signed by MPs John McDonnell and Barry Gardiner.
"We are dismayed to learn that, as they near their 8th week on hunger strike, their treatment remains inconsistent and unreliable," the letter stated.
This follows a move last week where Corbyn and over 50 MPs urged Lammy to meet the lawyers of the hunger-striking prisoners. They expressed frustration that their inquiries have been met with "vague reassurances" that policies are being followed, while daily accounts from prisoners and loved ones suggest otherwise.
The prisoner-led collective Prisoners for Palestine issued a stark warning, stating hunger strikers "will die" without urgent government intervention. "They are in the custody of the state and any harm that comes to them is a deliberate outcome of the government’s negligence and the politicisation of their detention," the group said.
In response to the growing crisis, Prisons Minister Lord Timpson has previously stated the service is "very experienced" at dealing with hunger strikes and has "robust and working" systems in place. The Prison Service has confirmed it "will not be meeting" any prisoners or their representatives.
HMP Bronzefield has been approached for comment regarding Gib's case.
