The health of three prisoners affiliated with Palestine Action who are on hunger strike has deteriorated significantly, with one now in her 65th day without food, supporters have warned. Heba Muraisi, 31, is reportedly suffering from muscle spasms and breathing difficulties, while Kamran Ahmed, 28, on day 58, has experienced intermittent hearing loss. 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, said the three are “well into the critical phase”, beyond three weeks, and warned that “things can decline very quickly and irreversibly”. He dismissed scepticism about how they remain alive, noting that medical advancements and supplementation have delayed catastrophic outcomes, but heart problems, infections, and neurological issues remain major risks.
Ahmed, held at Pentonville prison and hospitalised for a fifth time last week, said through an intermediary: “I’m worried but being scared does not mean for one second I am not willing as the government ministers play ping pong with our health. I intend to continue my hunger strike; perhaps they wait for me to leave in a body bag or [be] hospitalised for a sixth time.” He added that the onus should be on the government, not him.
The rolling hunger strike began on 2 November, demanding 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 pre-trial custody, well above the standard six-month limit, for alleged activities linked to Palestine Action. Five other prisoners have paused their hunger strikes, the latest being Teuta Hoxha after 60 days.
The protest is believed to be the largest coordinated hunger strike in the UK since IRA prisoners in 1981, when 10 died. Prisoners minister James Timpson said prison healthcare teams are monitoring the situation and that remand decisions are for independent judges, adding: “Ministers will not meet with them – we have a justice system that is based on the separation of powers.” The Ministry of Justice warned that agreeing to meet would create “perverse incentives” for others to put themselves at risk.
