Three Kiwi doctors meant to join a humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza fear the food will be rotten and medicines expired before it reaches its destination, after the mission was delayed by Israeli authorities.
Guinea Bissau withdrew its flag from Freedom Flotillas ships, and the activist group says finding another country to give flagging authority could take weeks.
However, they refuse to give up hope of reaching Gaza.
Ten days ago three Kiwi doctors departed Auckland bound for Istanbul. They were hoping to join aid workers and medics from 40 countries on a mission to bring much-needed aid to Gaza.
They were due to sail on Friday under the flag of west African country Guinea Bissau. But at the last minute it withdrew permission for its flag to be used - a move the activist group Freedom Flotilla says was influenced by Israeli pressure.
"It looks like it's intentionally to put our mission down," said Kiwi doctor Dr Adnan Al-Kenani.
The group said the ships had passed all inspections and were not carrying any military aid.
"In its communication informing us of this cancellation, the Guinea Bissau international ships registry made specific reference to our planned mission to Gaza," added Freedom Flotilla activist Huwaida Arraf.
Onboard was 5500 tonnes of aid including milk formula for babies.
Dr Al-Kenani fears if there are further delays the flotilla will suffer the same fate as aid trucks that have been delayed getting into Rafah.
"And now when they allow the few trucks to go into Gaza, when they open the bags of food they are rotten and medicines are expired," said Dr Al-Kenani.
There are 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering in Rafah, and the threat of a full-scale offensive looms large. People there are asking - where will they go?
In Istanbul, demonstrators for the delayed flotilla marched demanding a ceasefire.
"Our governments will not be acting, our governments are impotent but our people are strong," said Ann Wright, activist and retired US Army colonel.
In 2010 the Israeli Navy raided a Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea killing nine onboard.
But the Kiwi doctors aren't fearful, saying their lives are no more important than those of children in Gaza.
"We have the faith enough to go and to help these people, if they attack us and we die there, we know the risk of that," Dr Faiez Idais said.
The Freedom Flotilla is looking for another country to give its flagging authority - which could take weeks.
"If you are doing something very big like that, you have to be patient, and you try and try until you get this job done," Kiwi doctor Dr Wasfy Shahin said.
So, they will return to New Zealand later this week and wait for news that the flotilla can set sail.
