Three members of Palestine Action have ended a 73-day hunger strike while being held on remand, after saying developments around a major UK defence contract influenced their decision to stop.
The prisoners – Kamran Ahmed, Heba Muraisi and Lewie Chiaramello – announced on Wednesday that they had begun re-feeding. All three are awaiting trial for alleged offences linked to direct action carried out in the name of Palestine Action before the group was banned under terrorism legislation.
They began the hunger strike while in custody, demanding that Palestine Action be de-proscribed and that the UK government end support for companies supplying weapons to Israel.
🧾 Why the hunger strike ended
Supporters said the decision followed news that Elbit Systems failed to secure a government contract reportedly worth around £2 billion.
Campaign group Prisoners for Palestine said the contract would have involved training up to 60,000 British troops a year. No government department has publicly linked the contract outcome to the hunger strike.
In a statement, the group said: “Our prisoners’ hunger strike will be remembered as a landmark moment of defiance. Banning a group and imprisoning our comrades has backfired on the British state.”
The hunger strikers acknowledged that neither of their core demands had been formally met. They said they ended the protest because of mounting health risks.
⚖️ Remand, charges and the ban
Ahmed, Muraisi and Chiaramello remain in prison on remand. They have not been convicted of the offences they face.
Prosecutors allege the defendants took part in break-ins or criminal damage at defence-related sites before Palestine Action was banned in July. The ban made membership of the organisation a criminal offence under terrorism legislation.
By the time their cases come to trial, all three will have spent more than a year in custody.
Prisons minister Lord Timpson has said the defendants are charged with serious offences and that remand decisions rest with independent judges rather than ministers.
A judicial review challenging the legality of the proscription has concluded. Judges have reserved their decision, leaving the ban in force for now.
🏥 Health impact of prolonged hunger strikes
Within the past month, four other detained hunger strikers – Teuta Hoxha, Jon Cink, Qesser Zuhrah and Amu Gib – have also begun re-feeding, according to campaigners.
Friends and family members reported significant weight loss, dizziness, headaches and extreme fatigue among those involved.
Kamran Ahmed, 28, required hospital treatment last week after suffering a heart complication, his sister told Sky News.
Dr David Nicholl, a Birmingham-based neurologist who has studied prison hunger strikes, warned that extended periods without food can cause lasting damage.
“Months-long hunger strikes can lead to long-term neurological and cognitive problems,” he told Sky News. He cited risks including vertigo, sight loss, dementia-like symptoms and severe physical weakness.
🗣️ ‘We do this because of Palestine’
In a statement released after ending the hunger strike, Chiaramello, who has Type 1 diabetes, said the protest aimed to draw attention to the situation in Gaza and to UK defence policy.
“We do this because of Palestine,” he said. “We’ve been inspired to take action and to try to realise our dreams for a free Palestine and an emancipated world.”
The Ministry of Justice declined to comment on the individual cases.
The episode has renewed debate over the use of hunger strikes as a form of protest, the length of time defendants can be held on remand, and the balance between national security law and political activism.
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