Mansoor Adayfi, a writer, artist, activist, and former Guantanamo prisoner, began a hunger strike in solidarity with Palestine Action detainees, citing his own experiences with detention and the loss of control over his body. Adayfi, who was previously held at Guantanamo Bay, announced his action in conjunction with an event supporting the Palestine Action hunger strikers held on December 13, 2025, in Rome, Italy. He stated that his decision stemmed from a deep understanding of the detainees' situation, drawing parallels to his own experiences of isolation, forced silence, and lack of due process while imprisoned.

Adayfi described his time in Guantanamo as a period where he was stripped of his identity and reduced to a number. He said the U.S. government labeled him "the worst of the worst," a "terrorist," and an "enemy combatant," labels he believes were designed to justify torture. According to Adayfi, the torture was relentless and aimed at breaking the mind and body. He explained that he began refusing food as a response to having everything else taken from him, viewing his body as the only territory he could control.

Palestine Action is a pro-Palestinian activist group known for its direct action tactics against companies they accuse of being complicit in Israeli actions in Palestine. Members of the group have been arrested and detained for various actions, including protests and disruptions targeting specific businesses and institutions. Some of these detainees have initiated hunger strikes to protest their detention and raise awareness about their cause.

Hunger strikes are often used as a form of nonviolent resistance by prisoners and detainees seeking to bring attention to their grievances or to pressure authorities to meet specific demands. The practice has a long history, with notable examples including suffragettes in the early 20th century and Irish republican prisoners in the 1980s. The ethical implications of force-feeding hunger strikers are often debated, with human rights organizations generally opposing the practice as a violation of bodily autonomy.

Adayfi's decision to undertake a hunger strike highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the treatment of detainees and the use of hunger strikes as a form of protest. His personal experiences in Guantanamo provide a stark backdrop to his current act of solidarity, drawing attention to the parallels between his past and the present situation of Palestine Action detainees. The current status and duration of Adayfi's hunger strike, as well as the specific demands of the Palestine Action detainees, were not immediately available.