Medical experts warn that activists linked to Palestine Action who have been on hunger strike for more than 60 days are now entering a phase where damage may be permanent and the risk of death and irreversible harm increase sharply.

Two of the remaining hunger strikers, Heba Muraisi, who has passed day 66 without food, and Kamran Ahmed, who is on day 60, are described by family members as being in extreme physical decline.

Earlier this week, Muraisi told journalists she is “dying in her cell”, while Ahmed’s family said he is facing irreversible damage as his muscles and organs weaken under prolonged starvation.

In a statement shared by relatives and legal representatives, Ahmed was described as being “close to death”, as his physical condition continues to deteriorate.

Lawyers representing the two hunger strikers have also written to UK Justice Secretary David Lammy this week, for the fourth time, urging him to meet them to discuss a possible resolution.

In the letter, the lawyers raised concerns about Muraisi’s health and noted that Ahmed’s deterioration – including intermittent hearing loss, a low pulse, and breathlessness – is preventing them from taking instructions from him over the phone.

The hunger strike began in protest against their continued detention on remand and prison conditions, according to supporters.

Dr James Smith, an emergency medicine doctor and lecturer at University College London, is one of several doctors supporting the families of the hunger strikers.

He explained to Middle East Eye the profound physiological toll a hunger strike of this length can take.

“While 60-plus days represents a morbid milestone of sorts, the risks the hunger strikers are facing now are risks they have been facing for several weeks,” Smith told MEE.

“The risk grows with every day; but the processes taking place inside the body have already been under way since week three or four.”

As the body exhausts its initial energy reserves, it switches from using stored fat to breaking down muscle tissue for energy.

“That breakdown of muscle causes the visible wasting we associate with severe malnutrition,” Smith said.

Over time, this catabolism affects not just skeletal muscle but also the heart and breathing muscles, weakening core bodily functions essential for survival.