Today, Prisoners for Palestine held a press conference with medical experts, legal experts, MPs and families and loved ones of the hunger strikers, to urge the government to intervene as the hunger strike campaign reaches a critical point.
Doctors
Dr James Smith, A&E doctor and Lecturer at UCL, discussed an open letter spearheaded by him in order to pressure the government’s intervention in the case. On 17th December 2025, a letter was signed by over 800 doctors addressing David Lammy to urge him to intervene in the case of the hunger strikers currently on day 47 of hunger strike. The letter, detailing medical neglect and ‘grave concern’ over the hunger strikers’ health states, “They are at very high risk of serious complications, including organ failure, irreversible neurological damage, cardiac arrythmias, and death.” The letter details individual hunger strikers and the timeline of neglect faced alongside inadequacies surrounding medical intervention upon emergency responses and goes on to address commissioning teams, clinical leads and governance teams within the NHS and healthcare system, advising that, “The undersigned, call on all parties in positions of responsibility and authority, to act immediately to resolve this inherently dangerous and fragile situation, and safeguard the health and lives of the hunger strikers”. This letter comes after the emergency situation yesterday, where 20-year-old Qesser Zuhrah was refused an ambulance for more than 12 hours, prompting MP Zarah Sultana and two doctors to camp out outside HMP Bronzefield overnight, demanding the prison provide an ambulance. They refused to leave until this was done. As the prison continued to deny Qesser Zuhrah access to an ambulance, mass protests erupted outside the prison and arrests were made, including the arrest of Dr Ayo Khalil.
Dr James Smith at the press conference stated:
“The hunger strikers are dying…”
“The shackling of prisoners when in hospital, even when using toilet facilities, this is something I have never seen or experienced in my time as a medical professional.”
“It is my view that the government are presently harming these individuals. It is imperative that David Lammy
meets with the hunger strikers and their families”
Friends and Family
Friends and family in attendance have been advocating for their loved ones, including addressing David Lammy face to face. Alongside this, despite more than four official letters have been sent to the government by Prisoners for Palestine, the government is yet to respond. After assurances that they would be met, this press conference becomes the latest attempt to pressure the government to meet with them urgently.
A statement made by Rahma Hoxha, sister of T Hoxha currently held at HMP Peterborough:
“I don’t think people realise how serious this is, as on day 35 you risk brain damage, organ failure and heart attack. Today, she’s on day 40. I don’t want to lose my sister, I don’t want to imagine my life without her.”
A statement from Ella made today, Qesser Zuhrah’s next of kin:
“Qesser has been on hunger strike now for 47 days. This means she is 12 days into the final stage of starvation and 7 days into the period where death can occur at any time. Qesser is only 20 years old and has been held in prison for over a year without trial. All she wants is to go home and for this government to stop manufacturing genocide. She has so much life left to live – please let her live.”
Shahmina Alam, sister of Kamran Ahmed stated at the press conference:
“Kamran has made the most difficult decision, to starve his body of nutrients, because there is nothing more left (that he can do to be heard). He is committed to the liberation of Palestinians, he is commited to a right to a fair trial, to an end of censorship, these are not abnormal asks. It is a great shame that we have to stand here and ask for these things… What is most concerning, he is losing half a KG of weight everyday, in the last three days he has lost 3 kg. What are we waiting for? For his heart to stop?”
Legal
Daniel Cooper from Imran Khan And Partners spoke detailing multiple correspondences sent to David Lammy, with no response. The legal team representing the hunger strikers have pointed out that the government is in contempt of not adhering to their own policies on hunger strikers by mentioning the government’s policies in being involved in discussions on coming to resolutions on re-feeding. Daniel Cooper stated:
“We make it clear, our effort is to seek to prevent the loss of life. We remain at a loss as to why the Secretary [of State] would not want to engage in a process to save lives? Their lives are at risk, the government has known about this for some time, but for reasons not clear to us, they have refused our requests to meet.”
This statement comes following PM Keir Starmer being asked about the hunger strikers at PMQs yesterday, where he responded by saying the government was following rules on hunger strike.
Politicians
Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell, Zarah Sultana and Zack Polenski are amongst politicians urging the government to immediately meet with Prisoners for Palestine, in order to intervene and put an end to the hunger strikes. Several MPs have also sent letters alongside over 50 MPs signing an open letter to Lammy earlier this week.
John McDonnell stated:
“We are desperate now… We are desperate for a resolution of this. It would not be much to ask for David Lammy to simply appoint someone to start discussions off. Jeremy, I and Zarah have been down to prisons to visit and we have raised the basic conditions of humanitarian treatment of these prisons. By any standards, these conditions are not being met. It is not much to ask for David Lammy to enter into a process of discussion to save these people’s lives.”
Also attending the press conference was Shockat Adam Independant MP. He said:
“These individuals were standing up to the massacre and disruption of an innocent people…We have failed to stop the killing and suffering, these individuals decided to make sure they could do everything in their means to stop this from happening. This is an extension of where our country will go towards in order to make sure we are not implicated and this is why we will stand strongly with the prisoners.”