Palestine Action hunger strikers health worsen as UK refuses action

The health of four Palestine Action detainees on hunger strike in UK prisons is collapsing, according to a statement by Prisoners for Palestine on Monday.

Campaigners say the UK government is allowing the crisis to escalate to protect its relationship with Israel and its weapons industry.

Justice For The Hunger-Strikers targeted the headquarters of the ruling Labour Party in London this week, covering walls in red paint and breaking windows in an act of solidarity after repeated attempts to raise the alarm through formal channels had been ignored.

Prisoners for Palestine says detainee Heba Muraisi is now on her 58th day without food and has dangerously low levels of thiamine, essential for neurological function. The group reports that she now struggles to form sentences and cannot sleep on her side due to facial pain.

Teuta Hoxha has reached day 51 and, according to Prisoners for Palestine, can barely stand without blacking out and is experiencing severe cognitive difficulties.

Kamran Ahmed, on day 50, is said to have intermittent hearing loss, dizzy spells and irregular heart rate, while Lewie Chiarmello, a diabetic on day 37, is suffering repeated crashes in blood sugar and energy.

Prisoners for Palestine also reports that Qesser Zuhrah, who suspended her strike after 48 days, was refused an ambulance until protesters, including MP Zarah Sultana, intervened outside the prison gates.

Visitors to Muraisi at HMP New Hall have reported strip searches and the forced removal of Islamic headscarves.

Relatives attempting to visit Hoxha at HMP Peterborough say they were turned away for wearing "banned colours" and later followed home by drones.

Ahmed was moved from his cell, making it harder to see solidarity protests taking place outside.

Despite the deteriorating medical situation, the government has not contacted the strikers. Justice Minister David Lammy previously claimed to be "unaware" of the protests, a statement campaigners call implausible given the growing public attention and the involvement of MPs.

The detainees began their hunger strike on 20 October. They were arrested and charged over actions targeting an Elbit Systems site in Filton and a RAF military base at Brize Norton.

Elbit is Israel's largest weapons manufacturer and a primary supplier to the Israeli military. Campaigners argue that the prosecutions reflect the UK's political investment in maintaining military and commercial ties with Israel.

The strikers are demanding bail, saying they have now spent longer in pre-trial detention than the six-month legal limit. They are also seeking full disclosure of documents relevant to their case, including correspondence between UK and Israeli officials, British police, the attorney general and Elbit Systems regarding the policing of pro-Palestine activism.

Supporters warn that the UK government will bear responsibility if any of the hunger strikers' health deteriorates further, arguing that ministers are prioritising political and commercial ties with Israel over the rights and welfare of detainees.

In a statement on Sunday, a group of UN Special Rapporteurs led by Ben Saul, Irene Khan and Francesca Albanese expressed "grave concern for the lives and fundamental rights" of the detainees, warning that their health has "deteriorated significantly" and that they are now at risk of "organ failure, irreversible neurological damage, cardiac arrhythmias and death".

They said the British government had a "heightened duty of care" toward hunger strikers, and that authorities must ensure access to emergency and hospital care "when clinically indicated", respect medical ethics, and avoid actions that could be seen as retaliation.

The experts linked the hunger strike to "the broader context of restrictions on pro-Palestinian activism in the UK", noting their previous concerns over the proscription of Palestine Action under terrorism legislation and the use of counter-terror frameworks against protest activity.

They urged the UK to guarantee healthcare, engage with the detainees’ claims, and end the repression of Palestine-related activism.

The Ministry of Justice did not respond to The New Arab's request for comment by time of publication.