OTwo Editor Alice Keegan discusses the end of the 73-day hunger strike undertaken by pro-Palestine activists.
On Wednesday, 14 January, Kamren Ahmed, Heba Muraisi and Lewie Chiaramello, ended their hunger strike in a UK prison which lasted 73 days, claiming that their key demands had finally been met. Members of the activist group Palestine Action said that the UK government has now denied Israeli-based defence firm, Elbit Systems, a £2 billion contract.
The strikes attracted media attention in the last number of weeks, with increased concerns over the prisoners’ deteriorating health and welfare, as many participants had previously been taken to hospital amidst reports of medical neglect. Protests have taken place over recent months in Ireland and across the UK over the well-being and conditions of the three hunger strikers.
The three participants are currently detained awaiting trial for alleged break-ins or criminal damage, as part of the group Palestine Action, which has been proscribed under the Terrorism Act since July 2025. The prisoners detained due to their involvement with Palestine Action have been referred to in the media as the ‘Filton 24’.
The hunger strikers have made history by taking part in what is now the largest coordinated and longest hunger strike in Britain, and comparisons between this act and the strike undertaken by Irish political prisoners in Northern Ireland during the Troubles have been drawn.
The campaign group Prisoners for Palestine, in announcing the end of Ahmed, Muraisi and Chiaramello’s hunger strike, labelled it a “resounding victory”. They did however note that Umer Khalid is the last remaining hunger striker and has threatened “escalation through a water strike”, stating on their website; "While these prisoners end their hunger strike, the resistance has just begun."
The hunger strikers have made history by taking part in what is now the largest coordinated and longest hunger strike in Britain.
Meanwhile, the death toll in Palestine has reached 62,614 Palestinians - in spite of the ceasefire that was to come into effect in October of last year. 1,139 people have been killed in Israel since full-scale military operations began in October 2023.