Final hunger striker ends action as key demands are met

• Umer Khalid, 22, is a British Muslim remand prisoner held at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, currently imprisoned without trial.
• Umer undertook a 17-day hunger strike followed by a 3-day thirst strike, ending after being hospitalised in critical condition.
• He lives with Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, a rare genetic condition that significantly increases medical risks during starvation and refeeding.
• Umer’s protest was launched in response to prison censorship, restrictive prison conditions, denial of bail, and broader concerns regarding the criminalisation of Palestine solidarity activism.
• His demands also included accountability for the UK’s role in Israel’s military assault on Gaza, including scrutiny of arms companies operating in Britain.

London — CAGE confirms that Umer Khalid has now ended his hunger and thirst strike following seventeen days without food and three days without water, bringing the Palestine Action hunger strikes to a close. The strike period has already generated significant political and material impact, including the collapse of a £2 billion Ministry of Defence contract with Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems, alongside concrete improvements to prison conditions for those who took part.

During the course of the strike, Umer’s protest compelled prison authorities to reverse long-standing restrictions. Previously censored correspondence has been returned, visits are now taking place in line with official guidelines, and access to personal belongings has been restored. The prison governor has also provided assurances that further individual concerns will be addressed through an ongoing process of engagement. These developments follow months of obstruction and remain under close scrutiny.

At the same time, Umer’s case has highlighted the severe medical risks faced by hunger strikers in custody. During the strike, he was hospitalised while suffering multiple organ failure. Umer lives with Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, a rare genetic condition that significantly heightens medical risk during prolonged starvation and refeeding. As he begins recovery, CAGE stresses the need for specialist, hospital-led care delivered with dignity and reiterates the call for compassionate bail to allow him to heal in a safe and appropriate environment.

Umer’s protest resonated far beyond the prison estate. His actions were taken up internationally, amplifying calls for accountability for Britain’s role in enabling Israel’s military assault on Gaza. From remand, without trial, Umer asserted political agency and joined a wider movement refusing silence in the face of mass atrocity.

Central to this moment is the sustained exposure of Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer operating in the UK. Elbit’s business model is inseparable from the testing and deployment of weapons against Palestinians. The loss of the £2 billion Ministry of Defence contract represents a meaningful disruption to that model and reflects the growing pressure placed on institutions complicit in violence against civilian populations.

Alongside these political outcomes, we remain deeply concerned by the prison system’s capacity to safeguard the health of hunger strikers. Umer’s previous hunger strike ended with prison staff attempting to manage refeeding using biscuits and protein shakes, illustrating a lack of preparation and medical competence. Refeeding after prolonged starvation carries serious risks and must be overseen by qualified specialists according to hospital standards, not improvised within the prison estate.

Past experiences of hunger strikers show that hospital treatment under prison escort is frequently coercive and dehumanising, with prisoners restrained, surveilled, and denied privacy. This has driven some to discharge themselves against medical advice, placing their lives at further risk. These conditions undermine patient safety and violate basic principles of medical ethics.

Asim Qureshi, Research Director at CAGE, said:

“Three days into Umer Khalid's thirst strike, he was given an option by his doctors, either continue to see his demands through to their completion, or face the risk of death within twenty-four hours. Having witnessed the wins of the movement to hold institutions account over the involvement in the ongoing genocide of Palestine, Umer chose to not permit the inhumanity of our politicians, the prison system, and the prison warden to take any pleasure in his death. Instead, he has chosen to continue fighting for the cause of Palestine from his prison cell, and will continue to be a voice of conscience for the Palestinian people.”

Speaking after ending his strike, Umer Khalid said:

“I am too strong, too loud, too powerful - and we as a collective are the same. I ask Allah to take my life when He is pleased with me, and not before. What has become clear is that there is no concern for our lives inside these cells. Until then, we keep resisting. The muqawamah lives on.”

[ENDS]