Activists on board a small ship bound for Gaza have admitted to fearing for their safety, but insist they are committed to reaching the conflict-stricken enclave to deliver aid. 

"Obviously I fear for my safety but that is not stopping me," said one of the activists, Freedom Flotilla Coalition media coordinator Fellipe Lopez.

Lopez was speaking to Times of Malta onboard the Handala, a former fishing vessel operated by the coalition that will soon set sail for Gaza in an attempt to break a long-standing Israeli blockade and deliver humanitarian aid.

"The purpose of this mission is to send a message that civil society is not okay with what's happening [in Gaza]," Lopez said.

He said the voyage to Gaza is expected to take a week, but this could change because of "tensions" in the region.

Nonetheless, he remains confident. 

"In my heart, I'm 100% confident and I think everyone on board believes that too... We understand the risks, the challenge, but that is not going to stop us."

One woman who understands the risks all too well is 78-year-old former US colonel and diplomat Ann Wright. 

She was onboard a boat sent by the coalition in 2010, that ended with the death of nine activists when Israeli forces raided the vessel.

"These people are very brave, because we don't know what's going to happen. If the Israelis stop them, we know it'll be brutal," she said.

"There are armadas of military ships that are out there... these people [the crew] are fully briefed, but they're still willing to go," said Wright.

"I'm so proud of them." 

While the vessel may have seen life as a fishing vessel in the past, its new purpose was clear when Times of Malta went aboard on Wednesday.

Brightly coloured paintings adorned the hull alongside banners and slogans such as "not in my name," "free Palestine" and "Gaza you are not alone".

Messages of solidarity were scribbled all over the boat and Palestinian flags flew from beams and rigging ropes.

Malta is the Handala's 19th stop in Europe. It arrived on Tuesday evening two days late after being delayed in Sicily and will depart in the coming days. 

Organisers said they intend to sail directly to Gaza, but didn't rule out another stop for additional supplies.

Crew member and documentary filmmaker Alaa Kassab said he was "angry" at the situation in Gaza but "wanted to be helpful."

He will not be onboard the Handala for the final leg of its journey, however, explaining that as a Syrian living in Damascus and formerly Denmark, he was deemed "too high risk" for the mission.

700 had applied to join the humanitarian trip

Times of Malta was told that almost 700 people had applied to join the Handala's 17-strong crew.

Speaking at a press conference before the tour of the ship, coalition representatives said crew members from Italy, France, Norway, Australia and the Netherlands had boarded in Malta, joining Palestinian crew members and other nationalities.

German crew member of Turkish Kurdish descent Yasmin Acar said she had been "living in the belly of the monster," in Germany and called on her country to stop providing weapons to Israel.

"They are repeating history instead of learning from history," she said, adding she joined the crew because "justice needs to be fought for."

Moviment Graffiti activist Andre Callus said it was easy to become "numb, disengaged... Even horrific videos lose their meaning. But we cannot afford to ignore what's happening in Palestine."

Millions around the world were expressing their rage and solidarity, he said, adding the Freedom Flotilla Coalition had been running missions for 10 years at "great personal risk."

The coalition is an international organisation of NGOs attempting to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

While other vessels could join the Handala, coalition organisers said on Wednesday that none had applied at the time of publication.

The organisation aims to deliver 5,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza in its current mission but says it will not allow Israeli forces to inspect its vessels or participants, according to its website.

In comments to Times of Malta, Palestinian ambassador to Malta Fadi Hanania said the boat was carrying "a message of hope, of humanity... That there are still people who care".

He said that while the Palestinian cause had "lost momentum recently," and the Handala "gives our people more hope and resilience."

Israel's offensive in Gaza was sparked in October when Palestinian Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on the country, killing more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

More than 39,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed since the start of the war, according to Palestinian health authorities.