A Palestine Action activist on a hunger strike for nearly 70 days is now in a critical condition, with friends warning her health is rapidly deteriorating and that she is "frightened" for her life.
Critical Condition After Weeks Without Food
Heba Muraisi, 31, has spent the longest of three activists on remand refusing food, entering her 69th day on Saturday 10 January 2026. Her friend, Amareen Afzal, who visited her in prison this week, told Sky News that Muraisi has lost over 10kg and her condition is worsening.
"Her face is very gaunt, cheekbones are very prominent. She's physically exhausted, very tired," Ms Afzal said. "She is constantly suffering with headaches and lightheadedness. Sometimes she gets so lightheaded she feels nauseous."
Ms Afzal, also a member of Palestine Action, stated that Muraisi is in significant pain, struggling to sleep on one side of her body. She revealed the stark reality of the protest: "She's aware that she's deteriorating and physically dying... that her body could fail her at any moment."
Medical Warnings and Hospital Admissions
The health crisis is not isolated. On Tuesday, fellow hunger striker Kamran Ahmed, 28, was admitted to hospital for a heart complication on day 58 of his fast. A letter signed by 50 MPs has called on the government to respond with "humanity", expressing "considerable alarm" over the deteriorating health of Muraisi and Ahmed.
Leading neurologist Dr David Nicholl, who has studied prison hunger strikes for two decades, warns the activists are at serious risk of permanent harm or death. He highlighted the immediate danger of "refeeding syndrome", where resuming eating too quickly after prolonged starvation can be fatal.
Dr Nicholl explained that even if death is avoided, long-term health implications can include neurological disorders, dementia, vertigo, sight loss, and extreme weakness.
Demands and Official Response
The three prisoners, who all deny charges related to alleged break-ins or criminal damage carried out before Palestine Action was banned under terrorism legislation, say they will starve until their demands are met. These include the de-proscription of Palestine Action, an end to UK support for companies sending weapons to Israel, and immediate bail or transfer to prisons closer to home for family visits.
In response, Prisons Minister Lord Timpson stated: "Prison healthcare teams provide NHS care and continuously monitor the situation." He emphasised that the prisoners are charged with serious offences and that remand decisions are for independent judges, adding it would be "unconstitutional and inappropriate" for ministers to intervene.
The situation echoes past hunger strikes, such as the 1981 protests in Northern Ireland. Former hunger striker Pat Sheehan, who lasted 55 days without food, told Sky News of his experience: "I weighed about between 7 and 7.5 stone. I was completely yellow with jaundice. My eyesight had nearly gone completely."
With one activist in hospital and another approaching a critical 70-day threshold without sustenance, concerns are mounting over a potentially fatal outcome.
