Spain’s San Fermín festival opened at midday on 6 July with an unprecedented show of solidarity for Gaza. The citizen group Yala Nafarroa con Palestina, chosen by public vote, ignited the traditional “chupinazo” rocket from Pamplona’s city-hall balcony while shouting “Freedom for Palestine”. Local police put the crowd in the Plaza Consistorial at about 25,000, many waving Palestinian flags. The gesture set the tone for nine days and 204 hours of celebrations that include eight early-morning bull runs, concerts and hundreds of street events. Safety concerns resurfaced almost immediately. Monday’s opening encierro, run with Fuente Ymbro cattle, covered the 850-metre course in 2 minutes 37 seconds. Six runners were taken to hospital with bruises after the herd split on the rain-slicked cobblestones, but no one was gored. Tension rose on 8 July when a Cebada Gago bull broke from the pack and repeatedly turned on runners. The chaotic five-minute dash left one experienced participant gored in the thigh and seven others treated for lesser injuries, according to regional health authorities cited by Reuters. The following day saw the debut of the young Álvaro Núñez ranch. Its six bulls completed the course in 2 minutes 21 seconds, one of the quickest times of the week, yet the speed came at a cost: another runner sustained a horn wound while several more were injured in falls, emergency services said. Subsequent races have been less dramatic but still hazardous. Victoriano del Río bulls on 10 July produced a tightly bunched, sub-three-minute run that ended with seven contusions and no gorings. Jandilla’s herd set the festival’s fastest mark so far at 2 minutes 19 seconds on 11 July, injuring five people. On 12 July a José Escolar bull that lagged behind caused scares in the arena, where officials also reported a minor balcony collapse; four to five spectators and runners required medical attention. Across the first six encierros at least two participants have been gored and more than 30 treated for other injuries. Municipal authorities say enhanced fencing and medical staffing remain in place as the festival moves toward its traditional finale with the Miura bulls on 14 July.