Umer Khalid, a 22-year-old Palestine Action activist, has stopped drinking water in addition to food, raising fears he could die within days. Khalid, who has been on hunger strike since November, paused briefly at Christmas due to illness.
He is the last of eight prisoners who stopped eating to protest charges related to alleged break-ins and criminal damage on behalf of Palestine Action. All others ended their strikes 10 days ago after the UK government decided not to award a £2bn contract to Elbit Systems UK, an Israeli arms subsidiary.
Khalid suffers from limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder causing muscle weakness, which makes him more vulnerable. Dr Rupa Marya, a physician suspended by the University of California, San Francisco, warned that without fluid intake, death from acute kidney failure could occur within three to four days, and Khalid's condition increases that risk.
Marya stated: 'By Monday, if the UK government continues to stall, we can expect this young man to be well in the process of dying if not dead.' The Ministry of Defence's decision not to award the contract to Elbit Systems UK marked a shift, according to Prisoners for Palestine, which noted the company had won over 10 public contracts since 2012.
