Two individuals participating in a prolonged hunger strike for Palestine have been rushed to hospital in the UK after their health reached a critical point following more than 40 days without food.
Critical Health Deterioration Leads to Hospitalisation
Kamran Ahmed, 28, was hospitalised for the second time after 42 days of refusing food. He had been suffering severe chest pains, tremors he compared to being tasered, and slurred speech before the emergency admission.
Just two days prior, fellow protester Amu Gib, 30, was also admitted to hospital after 50 days without sustenance. Gib's condition deteriorated so rapidly they required a wheelchair, experiencing symptoms of brain fog and double vision.
Another hunger striker, Qesser Zuhrah, who began her protest alongside Gib, is also receiving hospital treatment. This brings the total number of hospitalisations during this collective, open-ended hunger strike to eight. The strike began on Balfour Day, 2nd November 2025.
Demands and Government Inaction
The group 'Prisoners for Palestine' has issued a stark warning, stating the hunger strikers will die unless the government intervenes urgently. In a statement, they accused the state of "deliberate negligence" and politicising the detainees' cases.
"They are in the custody of the state, and any harm that comes to them is a deliberate outcome of the government's negligence," the statement read. It highlighted that despite Ministry of Justice policy requiring authorities to address hunger strikes, neither prison governors nor ministers have engaged with the protesters to discuss their demands.
The prisoners' demands include immediate bail, fair trials, and the closure of UK sites operated by the Israeli defence contractor Elbit Systems. Their legal team, Imran Khan and Partners, has warned Foreign Secretary David Lammy that "young British citizens will die in prison, having never even been convicted of an offence."
Longest Hunger Strike Since the IRA Protests
Six prisoners are currently refusing food in British jails: Zuhrah, Gib, Ahmed, Heba Muraisi, Teuta Hoxha, and Lewie Chiaramello. With some now on day 48, this is the longest hunger strike the UK has witnessed since the 1981 IRA protests, during which ten men, including Bobby Sands, died.
The protesters, known as the Filton 24 and Brize Norton 4, are awaiting trial for direct action against Elbit Systems. They face significant delays in the justice system; Amu Gib is not expected to stand trial until 2027.
In response to the crisis, the Ministry of Justice has stated that the protest is "unacceptable" and that prisoner health is being managed according to policy. However, as each hour passes, the risk of reaching a fatal "point of no return" increases dramatically.
