Over 800 doctors have warned the UK government that eight Palestine Action activists on hunger strike are facing imminent organ failure and “irreversible” damage.
A coalition of more than 800 British medical professionals has issued an urgent warning to Justice Secretary David Lammy, stating that eight remand prisoners affiliated with the group Palestine Action are at a “critical and deadly” stage of an ongoing hunger strike.
The medical experts, including emergency physicians and university lecturers, assert that the activists are “dying” in prison following nearly seven weeks without food.
The hunger strikers, aged 20 to 31, are currently being held in five different UK prisons while awaiting trial for alleged actions targeting Israeli-linked defense firms and military infrastructure.
None of the eight individuals has been convicted of a crime. Dr. James Smith, an emergency physician who has been in contact with the families, told a London news conference that the strikers have reached a “point of no return” where the body begins to consume its own organ tissue to sustain vital functions.
Eight Palestine Action prisoners on hunger strike have been warned by doctors they are at imminent risk of irreversible physical damage and death. And Ella Moulsdale, a friend of prisoner Qesser Zuhrah, says she has entered a “deadly period” after collapsing. pic.twitter.com/9PWHqF19o1
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) December 18, 2025
According to reports from legal representatives and families, Qesser Zuhrah (20) and Amu Gib have now reached day 48 of their strike. Other participants include Heba Muraisi, Teuta Hoxha, Kamran Ahmed, and Lewie Chiaramello, the latter of whom is a diabetic on a partial strike.
Medical professionals have detailed risks of sudden cardiac arrest, kidney failure, and permanent neurological damage if immediate specialist medical intervention is not provided.
The activists’ primary demands include:
Immediate release on bail pending their trials.
De-proscription of Palestine Action, which was designated a terrorist organization by the UK government in July 2024.
A fair trial and an end to what they describe as “political censorship” of their communications.
The closure of Elbit Systems facilities on UK soil.
While the government has stated that it is following “established rules and procedures” for managing hunger strikes, the Ministry of Justice has so far declined requests from more than 50 MPs and peers to meet with the activists’ lawyers.
Prisons Minister Lord Timpson noted that the prison service is “very experienced” in managing such incidents, though campaigners argue this is the largest coordinated hunger strike in a UK prison since the 1981 Irish Republican strikes.
Noor Alyacoubi is a Gaza-based translator and writer. She studied English and literature at al-Azhar University in Gaza.
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