turning to the Middle East Israeli forces today sent troops into the main hospital in southern gaza's hunis in what it said was an operation to recover bodies of hostages and search for Hamas Fighters the Gaza Health Ministry accused the IDF of storming the complex leaving an undetermined number of people killed and injured including an emergency doctor the medical charity Doctors Without Borders which has staff members at the hospital urged Israel to stop the operation the Israeli military is facing Rising International condemnation over its strikes on Gaza US senator Corey Booker on Wednesday joined 24 other senators in support of ongoing us efforts to free the remaining hostages taken by Hamas along with what the Senators called restoring a quote Mutual ceasefire agreement in Gaza that's not exactly a call for an end to the war or a true ceasefire but it's the closest request yet after more than 3 months of fighting today Palestinian American families from New Jersey whose loved ones are in Gaza made their own desperate plea to elected officials begging for their help before it's too late senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan has the story this is why we are here we are the voice of our families we are here to let everyone here in America to know that what is happening to Palestinians in Rafa pway resident najlaa spoke for her uncle during a news conference with Pro Palestinian advocates she says he's struggling to survive in Rafa even as an Israeli ground Invasion threatens this last refuge for Palestinian of acues displaced by the war a dozen family members now shelter together in a tent my uncle's an 85-year-old man 85y old man and now lives on the street in a tent with little food he's waiting to die from Hunger or to be killed from Israel's Grand Invasion some of my family member has survived the bombing and now very much starving can't find food kind cannot find any kind of clean water or any kind of water Adam Shar lives in Springfield he says family in Northern Gaza now eat animal feed to stay alive that his cousin was abducted by Israeli soldiers every speaker listed family members killed or missing in this conflict these are Palestinian Americans residents of New Jersey who are calling on our elected officials to demand that action be taken immediately a ceasefire now is necessary ceasefire now is absolutely necessary to save the lives that are remaining in Gaza noting that only two of Jersey's Congressional Representatives Democrats Bonnie Watson Coleman and Donald Payne have called for a ceasefire families addressed elected officials who don't support their cause don't even reach out to us don't waste your time speakers push the political message hard vowing to make this an issue at the polls they've gotten through to the governor too during a lunar New Year event at the governor's mansion drum flacket Monday a couple protesters demanded Governor Murphy disband a commission which Fosters cultural and economic ties between New Jersey and Israel the bombings in Rafa why would you the New Jersey Israeli con we're not going to do that you want a picture it's really important to contextualize uh the anger of those who were at drum thet uh why they had approached the governor they feel you know it's been four months people have been calling on the governor and on elected officials uh to reevaluate New Jersey's relationship with Israel and a lot of our calls have been falling on deaf ears after the encounter Murphy raged he felt white hot mad in a furious text he fired off to his staff and inadvertently nj.com reporter Matt Arco who broke the story today the governor explained we stand for protecting innocent lives as best we can um the substance I get completely but the statement we put out about what happened we we'll leave will stand for itself Murphy said he understands the enormous passions involved here but as for a ceasefire I am where where I am I think the where the Biden Administration is uh let's remember Hamas started this let's not forget that and Hamas has let the Palestinian people down to say it uh politely Murphy staff says they will re-evaluate event protocols after what happened at drum plet I'm Brenda Flanagan NJ Spotlight News