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 said. Heba Muraisi, 31, on day 65 of her strike, is suffering from muscle spasms and breathing problems, while Kamran Ahmed, 28, on day 58, has reported intermittent hearing loss. A 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, said the three were already “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: “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.”
The rolling hunger strike began on 2 November with demands including immediate bail, ending the ban on Palestine Action, closing UK sites of Israeli arms company Elbit Systems, and ending censorship of prisoners’ communications. The three have spent over 18 months in jail before trial, well above the standard six-month pre-trial custody limit. Five other prisoners have paused their hunger strike, the latest being Teuta Hoxha after 60 days.
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 [UK] passport? Are the Palestinians disposable numbers?” He said watching “random cooking shows”, his Islamic faith, and “hearing the protests echo through the Pentonville grounds” had kept him going.
Dr Smith dismissed “nonsense” from detractors questioning how the strikers were still alive, stating their bodies were “breaking down as we speak”. He noted that heart problems, infections, and neurological issues were major risks. Prisoners minister James Timpson said prison healthcare teams were monitoring the situation and that ministers would not meet the strikers, as it would be “unconstitutional and inappropriate” to intervene in ongoing legal cases.
