On November 2nd, 2025—the 108th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration—two prisoners refused their breakfast trays at HMP Bronzefield in London. With that simple act, Amu Gib and Qesser Zuhrah launched what could become the largest prisoners’ hunger strike in mainland England in decades, a desperate protest against what they describe as unjust incarceration and Britain’s continued complicity in arming Israel.
“It’s very important to note that this is starting actually because it’s the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration today,” said Francesca, spokesperson for Prisoners for Palestine, in an interview on the strike’s first day. “Obviously that’s very important because we’re here in the country that signed this declaration, which was the beginning of the Israeli state basically.”
The timing is deliberate. The Balfour Declaration of 1917 marked Britain’s formal support for establishing a Jewish state in Palestine. Now, over a century later, Palestinian solidarity activists imprisoned for allegedly targeting Israeli weapons facilities on UK soil are using their bodies as instruments of protest, echoing a long history of hunger strikes from Irish republicans to the suffragettes.
The Prisoners
Amu Gib is one of the Brize Norton Five, activists accused of spraying blood-red paint on two RAF aircraft in June 2024. The planes were allegedly being used for surveillance flights over Ghazzah. Qesser Zuhrah, meanwhile, is part of the #Filton24, arrested in connection with an action at an Elbit Systems weapons facility in Bristol in August 2024.
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Qesser spent her 20th birthday in prison, having been incarcerated when she was just 19. At the time of her arrest, she was the youngest prisoner held for Palestine-related actions in the UK. That distinction has since passed to her younger brother, who was subsequently arrested and also remanded without trial.
Both prisoners are consuming only water and salt—at least until prison healthcare decides whether to provide electrolytes. “They depend on the prison healthcare to get them,” Francesca explained. “We saw, for example, there was another Filton 24 detainee who went on hunger strike in August. She was refused electrolytes for quite a few days by the prison healthcare staff.” That was T Hoxha, who launched a 28-day hunger strike at HMP Peterborough after the prison suspended her recreational activities, removed her from her library job and withheld her mail. Her strike prompted two imprisoned activists in California to join in solidarity, demonstrating the transnational nature of this movement.
What Hunger Striking Does to the Body
To understand the stakes of this protest, it’s crucial to grasp what happens when the human body is systematically deprived of food. A hunger strike is not simply skipping meals—it’s a slow-motion act of potential self-destruction undertaken in the name of principle.
In the first two or three days, hunger pangs typically disappear. The body enters a state called ketosis as it begins burning fat for energy instead of glucose. Headaches, mental fogginess, and physical exhaustion soon follow.
After the third day, the real hunger strike begins. The body starts cannibalizing itself, breaking down muscle protein to create the glucose needed for cell metabolism. Weight drops rapidly as both fat and muscle are consumed. Essential nutrients like phosphorous, magnesium, and zinc are depleted.
By the second week, the symptoms become severe: dizziness, sluggishness, weakness, loss of coordination, low heart rate and a constant feeling of being cold. Standing becomes difficult. Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency poses a serious risk, potentially causing neurological problems including cognitive impairment, vision loss and lack of motor skills.
“In the beginning days I felt extremely hungry and had severe stomach aches,” recalled Guantanamo prisoner Lateef Johar Baloch, who went on a 46-day hunger strike in 2014. “Sometime during the second week the feeling of hunger eventually died, and I went through extreme pain all over my body. The most unpleasant and unbearable pain I felt was in my bones.”
After a month, when more than 18 percent of body weight is lost, permanent medical complications can occur. Swallowing becomes difficult, hearing and vision loss may develop, breathing becomes laboured, and organ failure can begin. The skin becomes brittle with red sores and cracks appearing, especially on the hands. Hair and nails break. Chronic diarrhoea is common as the digestive system fails.
Beyond 45 days, death from cardiovascular collapse or severe infection becomes a very real possibility. The heart muscle itself shrinks as the body absorbs muscle tissue. Even for those who survive and end their strike, recovery is precarious—eating too much food too quickly can trigger “refeeding syndrome,” a potentially fatal condition caused by shifts in fluids and electrolytes.
The Demands
The hunger strikers have issued five clear demands to the British government:
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- End all censorship in prisons – The removal of restrictions on the prisoners communications, including personal mail, phone calls, and political statements.
- Immediate bail – Release on bail for all 33 Palestine activist prisoners held on remand.
- Release documents necessary for a fair trial – Unredacted disclosure of documents from secret meetings between UK and Israeli officials, Elbit Systems CEO, and counterterror police.
- Deproscribe Palestine Action and drop terror-related charges – Reverse the July 2025 proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation.
- Shut down Elbit – Close Elbit Systems’ weapons manufacturing facilities in the UK, and end the UK government’s procurement contract with the arms manufacturer.
An Unprecedented Crackdown
Currently, 33 people are being held on remand in British prisons for Palestine-related actions—29 are part of Prisoners for Palestine, while four others from Palestinian Martyrs for Justice are awaiting bail applications. The number represents what campaigners describe as an unprecedented crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism in the UK.
The #Filton24 takes its name from a dramatic action in August 2024, when activists drove a modified prison van through the perimeter fence of Elbit Systems’ research and manufacturing facility at Filton, Bristol. Six activists entered the building and began dismantling production machinery and quadcopter drones which they had evidence would be used in Gaza. While only six were present at the action, 18 others were subsequently arrested for their alleged involvement.
“Some of the activists had guns pointed at their heads when they were arrested,” Francesca said, describing the dawn raids. “And this for supposed property damage, which we can see is just absolutely unprecedented.”
The situation worsened dramatically after Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July 2025. Under UK law, expressing support for or membership of a proscribed organisation is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Since the ban, over 2,000 people have been arrested in England and Wales, many simply for holding cardboard signs reading ‘I oppose Genocide – I support Palestine Action.’
Since the proscription in July, the prisoners have reported systematic abuse and deteriorating conditions. “It’s quite common these days, unfortunately, for the prison staff to call them terrorists, to try and isolate them from the other prisoners,” Francesca said.
A Rolling Strike
This is being organised as a ‘rolling hunger strike,’ meaning more prisoners will join in the coming weeks. For security reasons, organisers are not disclosing how many will ultimately participate or when others will join, though Francesca indicated more would begin “in the coming days.”
The prisoners and their advocates sent their letter of demands to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood on October 20th. As of November 2nd, there has been no response.
“It’s no great surprise that the government has ignored the prisoners’ demands,” Francesca said. “This is simply a continuation of the corruption and violence enacted by the British state—not only upon the prisoners, but most importantly on the Palestinian people.”
The prisoners feel they have exhausted all other options. “They have tried to have their demands met through the prison complaint system and judicial system,” said Audrey Corno, a formerly imprisoned activist now part of Prisoners for Palestine. “But they have been consistently let down by both.”
The Bigger Picture
For the prisoners, this is about more than their own treatment. “It’s not just about them,” Francesca stressed. “It’s about what the government is doing. And their incarceration is just, sadly, a by-product of that.”
The connection they draw is direct – the proscription of Palestine Action in July 2025 was followed by September becoming the second-highest month on record for UK arms exports to Israel. Freedom of Information requests have revealed secret meetings between UK government officials, Israeli officials, the CEO of Elbit Systems, and counterterror police—though the documents remain heavily redacted.
“We can see this is planned—get the protesters out of the way, and then they [the UK government] can export all the arms they want,” Francesca said. “And the hypocrisy: publicly saying, ‘yes, we recognise the state of Palestine‘ to placate the public, but then behind closed doors, they’re still exporting more and more arms to Israel.”
The hunger strikers are receiving growing support. Defend Our Juries, Campaign Against The Arms Trade, CAGE International, and Black Lives Matter UK have all pledged solidarity.
A demonstration was held outside the Home Office, and more actions are planned, including a phone blockade of the Ministry of Justice and a demonstration in central London.
A Desperate Gambit
As Amu Gib and Qesser Zuhrah enter their first days without food, their bodies beginning the slow process of consuming themselves, they join a long tradition of those who have weaponised their own mortality in pursuit of justice. It is, perhaps, the ultimate expression of powerlessness—and paradoxically, of power.
“Obviously, prisoners are very vulnerable,” Francesca said. “They’re taking a risk. They’re making a sacrifice. And they need all of our support.”
The British government now faces a choice – continue to ignore these prisoners as their health deteriorates, or engage with demands that challenge not only their treatment of activists but Britain’s broader role in the ongoing violence in Ghazzah.
For the hunger strikers, the calculation is stark. As one historical account of Irish hunger strikes noted, fifteen days was considered a “likely danger point”, fostering reluctance among some prisoners to undertake such actions. But for those who feel all other avenues have been exhausted, the body becomes the final battleground.
“The prisoners have decided to do this because they’ve been left with no other choice by their government,” Francesca said simply.
As breakfast trays go untouched and bodies begin their slow rebellion against starvation, the question now is – how long before someone listens?
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At 7pm this evening, Prisoners For Palestine are hosting the first of several open Zoom meetings with updates and news. Join here.
— © 2025 Sul Nowroz – Real Media staff writer – Insta: @TheAfghanWriter
