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Ten thousand tons of cargo, 800 passengers, 50 nationalities, nine vessels - one aim - to break the siege on Gaza.

That's the simple math behind the Freedom Flotilla as its lead vessel was unveiled on Saturday in Istanbul.

At a rally held to bid the ship farewell, organisers challenged Israel's insistence that its navy would not allow this convoy, of much needed humanitarian aid, to reach the Gaza Strip.

As one organiser put it to me: "These ships will only return empty of their cargo, and with the footprints from Gaza's sand".

And from what I've seen from the organisers and supporters, I am inclined to believe her.

There are more than 20 charities partaking in one way or another in this flotilla -activists, humanitarians, politicians from the USA to Indonesia. If Israel were to prevent these people from entering or if it were to harm or detain them, Israeli authorities could very well find themselves embroiled in diplomatic disputes with up to 50 countries.

Furthermore, the sheer resolve and work put in by the organisers of this fleet - over a period spanning back to 2008 - really does make it difficult to believe that they would just turn back to where they came from without reaching their desired destination. Aside from the 10,000 tons of aid, organisers say they're taking up to two months worth of food and supplies for those on board - in case that's how long it takes for Israel to allow them access.