Two prisoners linked to Palestine Action have been taken to hospital after weeks on hunger strike, prompting growing alarm from MPs, families and campaigners who warn that failures inside Britain’s prison system could have fatal consequences

Two prisoners linked to Palestine Action have been taken to hospital after weeks on hunger strike, prompting growing alarm from MPs, families and campaigners who warn that failures inside Britain’s prison system could have fatal consequences.

Amu Gib, 30, and Kamran Ahmed, 28, were removed from their respective prisons after their health deteriorated sharply following prolonged refusals of food. Supporters say the cases highlight serious shortcomings in how hunger strikes are being handled and raise urgent questions about whether the state is meeting its duty of care to those in custody.
Gib, who had been held on remand at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, was on the 50th day of a hunger strike when they were taken to hospital over the weekend.

Ahmed, detained at Pentonville prison in London, was hospitalised after more than six weeks without food. Campaign group Prisoners for Palestine said at least eight hunger strikers have now required hospital treatment since the protest began in early November, warning that lives are at risk without immediate government intervention.

Supporters say Gib had been unable to walk without assistance and had been issued a wheelchair shortly before being transferred to hospital. Friends and next of kin have described limited communication from prison authorities and growing concern that medical issues were not being addressed quickly enough as health declined.

The hunger strike is linked to protests over UK policy on Gaza and the detention of activists connected to Palestine Action. Campaigners argue the situation has moved beyond political protest and into a humanitarian crisis unfolding behind prison walls. They say that because the prisoners are held by the state, any serious harm that comes to them would represent a failure of state responsibility.

Concerns have now been raised at Westminster. Jeremy Corbyn, the MP for Gib’s constituency, has written to the prisons inspectorate expressing alarm about what he described as inconsistent and unreliable healthcare for hunger-striking prisoners. The letter, co-signed by John McDonnell and Barry Gardiner, warned that detainees nearing their eighth week without food were still not receiving adequate medical support.

More than 50 MPs have also urged the justice secretary to meet lawyers representing the hunger strikers, saying repeated requests for clarity have either gone unanswered or been met with vague reassurances. MPs argue that official claims that policies are being followed do not match the accounts coming directly from prisoners and their families.
Prison authorities have denied failings.

A spokesperson for HMP Bronzefield said prisoners have full access to healthcare, including external hospital treatment, and that anyone refusing food receives regular medical assessments and mental health support. Critics, however, say repeated emergency hospitalisations point to systemic problems rather than isolated cases.

Campaigners warn that unless there is urgent intervention, the situation could escalate further. They say the issue is no longer simply about protest, but about whether the prison system can safely manage vulnerable detainees engaging in prolonged hunger strikes.

As the protest continues, pressure is mounting on ministers to act before the crisis inside Britain’s prisons leads to irreversible consequences.