Anna Ruiz (Montuïri), an activist and nautical professional, was part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international initiative that aimed to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge the Israeli naval blockade. On April 30, her boat, the BribonA, was intercepted along with other vessels of the mission in international waters near Greece. Ruiz joined the flotilla in the midst of a war that, since October 2023, has caused the death of more than 72,000 Palestinians and displaced most of the population of the Strip. While Benjamin Netanyahu's government has announced its intention to expand military control over the enclave to 70%, the Majorcan activist asserts that she could not stand aside from the conflict. In this interview, she recounts how she experienced the interception, the aggressions she reports witnessing, and the role that, in her opinion, Western governments are playing in the face of the situation experienced by the Palestinian people.

The spokesperson for Global Sumud Flotilla in the Balearic Islands, Xisca Puig, expressed this Thursday her satisfaction at the imminent return of the Spanish activists detained in Israel, among whom is her husband, Toni Riera. “They already knew what could happen to them, they were prepared for it, even that they could be tortured; I saw it with horror,” she stated, referring to the treatment received by the members of the flotilla intercepted by the Israeli army when it was heading towards Palestine with humanitarian aid.

The interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in Greek waters continues to generate reactions in the Balearic Islands. The General Assembly of Marches for Mallorca for Palestine has called on the President of the Government, Marga Prohens, this Saturday to take steps to clarify what they consider an “act of illegal piracy” and to ensure the status of the six Balearic activists who were traveling on board the vessel bound for Gaza.

The interception of the Sumud Global Flotilla in Greek waters continues to generate reactions in the Balearic Islands. The General Assembly of Marches of Mallorca per Palestina has called on the President of the Government, Marga Prohens, this Saturday to take steps to clarify what they consider an “act of illegal piracy” and to ensure the well-being of the six Balearic activists who were traveling on board the vessel bound for Gaza.

She's still processing everything she's experienced in recent weeks with the Global Sumud Flotilla, along with Alejandra Martínez and Reyes Rigo, who spent more time there after biting a civil servant. What was supposed to be a ten-day journey to Palestine turned into a long and difficult trip, with some very complicated days in an Israeli prison. Activist Lucía Muñoz (Palma, 1993) takes stock of her experience, the criticism she's received, and the intersection of local and global politics.