The Freedom Flotilla sailing towards Gaza with the objective of breaking the blockade imposed by Israel and delivering urgent humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people was intercepted this Monday, May 18, at 10 AM in international waters. On one of the boats, the Cabo Blanco, travels the Mallorcan volunteer Toni Riera.

Israeli authorities have detained nearly 175 activists who were on board vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla intercepted at dawn in international waters south of Greece, about a thousand kilometers from the coasts of the Gaza Strip and Israel. According to the Palestinian Solidarity Movement, among these detainees are two citizens from the Balearic Islands and, on the vessels near Crete, there are four more islanders.

A group of islanders (three from Mallorca and one from Menorca) will depart for Gaza from Barcelona this week with a new humanitarian flotilla. We speak with Lluís (Ciutadella) and Toni (Sant Llorenç), who have decided to join the new Flotilla Summud. Both share a goal: to force the opening of a sustained humanitarian corridor. The action combines the sending of aid with the will to denounce and raise awareness: “It is also a way to mobilize people and pressure governments to act,” they explain.

The three Mallorcans, Lucía Muñoz, Alejandra Martínez, and Reyes Rigo, arrived in Palma today, Monday, after defending Palestinian rights in Israel with the Freedom Flotilla. At the airport, they were greeted by family and friends amidst Palestinian flags and shouts of "Long live the struggle of the Palestinian people." Rigo declined to comment on the sentence imposed by the Israeli state, asserting that she is fine and believing that "the focus should be on Palestine."

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, reported that the Spanish government is working to ensure that the eight Spanish citizens from the new flotilla, who are being held in an Israeli prison, are released "as soon as possible" and return to our country, which is "where they should be" and not be detained. This was stated by the head of Spanish diplomacy in an interview with In the mornings from RNE, in which he also referred to Reyes Rigo, the Spanish woman from the first flotilla who is still being held in an Israeli prison, indicated that they are in contact with Israeli authorities, although she acknowledged that it is "difficult" to know when she and the rest of the citizens will be able to return to Spain.

Family, friends, and party colleagues have no news of Reyes Rigo and continue to live with tension, fear, and hope for the Mallorcan activist's return to the island after being detained while sailing with the Global Sumud Flotilla.

The Global Movement in Gaza, Mallorca, has come out in defense of Reyes Rigo, one of the Mallorcans who was part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, accused of assaulting an Israeli prison officer. This alleged assault is what has led to her detention being extended, and she is currently the only person detained during the humanitarian mission who has not yet returned.