Four Palestine Action detainees on hunger strike have all the resolve to continue, families have told Sky News, after four others paused their action.
Eight remand prisoners had stopped eating, demanding the UK stops hosting weapons factories that supply arms to Israel, removes the proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist group, and gives those on remand immediate bail.
Kamran Ahmad, 29, who has been on remand at HMP Peterborough for 13 months has been hospitalised three times during his hunger strike, which on Wednesday reached 45 days.
“His spirit is strong,” his sister Shahmina Alam told Sky News, adding that Ahmad had started developing twitches.
“The prison has moved him to cells closer to the nurse’s station to ensure he’s able to have his vitals managed and respond to any emergency situations.”
“Kamran is still determined,” she said of his resolve. “He feels this is the only way to exercise his demands.”
HMP Peterborough has said in a statement: “We cannot provide information about specific individuals however we can confirm that all prisoners are managed in line with the policies and procedures governing the entire HMPPS managed prison estate.”
All eight hunger strikers were detained in prison on remand while they await trial for alleged break-ins or criminal damage carried out in the name of Palestine Action before the group was banned under terrorism legislation. By the time they are tried, all will have spent more than a year in custody.
Three others who remain on hunger strike are Heba Muraisi, Lewie Chiaramello, who is type 1 diabetic and has been fasting every other day for 31 days and Teuta Hoxha, who has been on remand for 13 months.
Hoxha is on day 46 of her hunger strike.
After a prison visit on Wednesday, her sister Rahma, 17, told Sky News: “She’s losing an enormous amount of weight. She showed me her arms and I can see her bones sticking out.
“My sister is struggling to talk, has a constant headache and she’s been having heart palpitations.”
Rahma added: “She’s very firm on her demands.”
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Amy Gardiner-Gibson, who also goes by the name Amu Gib, began eating again on Wednesday after 49 days of going without food, according to the campaign group Prisoners for Palestine.
In the past week, Qesser Zuhrah also paused her hunger strike after 48 days, hinting she might resume it in the new year.
Umer Khalid and Jon Cink ended their strikes after 13 and 41 days, respectively.
Palestine Action told Sky News that all pauses were carried out in hospital under medical supervision to prevent refeeding syndrome, a life-threatening shift of fluids and body salts (electrolytes) that can occur when malnourished patients receive treatment with refeeding.
Over the course of the strike, seven members of the group have been taken to hospital and doctors have raised concerns about the long-term impact on their health.
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Lawyers representing the hunger strikers are considering legal action against the government, accusing it of failing to follow prison safety and hunger strike policies. Sky News understands the Ministry of Justice denies the accusations.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: “Ministers do not intervene in individual cases. Where individuals are on remand, doing so would risk prejudicing ongoing legal proceedings and undermine the independence of the justice system.
“Concerns about welfare and process can be raised through established legal and administrative channels, including prison governors and ultimately the Prison and Probation Ombudsman.
“Healthcare decisions are taken independently by qualified NHS professionals, and appropriate care and oversight frameworks remain in place.”
