>> tonight on NJ Spotlight News's safe haven, Americans fleeing the Israel Hamas war safely returning to U.S. soil.

>> it's a relief to be back but on the plane I got emotional because I felt like I was leaving people behind.

>> breaking down the war, a deeper dive into Hamas and Israel's endgame and the political line that the U.S. walks.

>> a ground invasion of Gaza will be extremely costly.

At a maximum, a wider regional war.

>> Cops and cannabis, Jersey City sues the state to halt police officers from consuming marijuana.

>> New Jersey conflicts with ATF and federal law exposing Jersey City to millions of dollars in potential liability.

>> free maternal classes, Hoboken Medical Center launches critical services for expecting moms.

>> it is hard adjusting to this so having this resource is awesome.

>> NJ Spotlight News begins now.

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♪ >> from NJ PBS this is NJ Spotlight News with biranna.

>> thank you for joining us this Tuesday night.

Hundreds of people have been killed in an airstrike on a hospital in the middle of Gaza city according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Many wounded Palestinian civilians and displaced residents including young children were seeking shelter hoping to be spared bombardment after Israel ordered all residents to evacuate to the southern Gaza Strip.

If the death toll is confirmed the attack would be the deadliest Israeli strike in five wars since 2008 according to the associate rest.

Israeli Defense forces are looking into the strike but have not claimed responsibility.

Troops en masse near Israel's border near Gaza to begin a ground operation against Hamas terrorists.

Israel's response to the military regimes brutal October 7 attacks that killed more than 1400 Israelis, 30 Americans among them and took 200 people hostage.

The deadliest attack on Israel in 50 years.

According to Gaza medics nearly 3000 Palestinians have been killed in the counteroffensive and the number keeps rising.

The deadly blast comes as President Biden prepares and the conflict escalates.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan was at Newark Airport as flights arrive from Tel Aviv with those fleeing to safety while many in Israel and Gaza have not.

>> families hug each other tight meeting loved ones at North Liberty International Airport read for some Americans escaping rockets and explosions and sirens after waiting days for a flight out of Tel Aviv felt bittersweet.

>> it's a relief to be back but on the plane I got emotional because I felt like I was leaving people behind.

>> David flew home alone, his daughter is a soldier in Israel and his wife chose to stay with her.

They had to return to work in New Jersey.

Eyes filled with tears.

>> I did not want to come back.

I don't know how long I will be able to stay.

>> for the Jewish holidays the first week was amazing, the second was a disaster.

>> their flight got cancer -- canceled when U.S. airlines suspended flights trapping thousands.

They described running for shelter and safe rooms, ducking for cover and they expressed dismay at U.S. news reports.

>> very disappointing to hear about the demonstrations in America supporting Hamas which makes no sense.

There is evil in the world.

>> hundreds of Palestinian Americans are trying to exit Gaza into Egypt, a work in progress for U.S. diplomats trying to arrange a safe crossing.

It took a week for the Biden administration to charter flights out of Tel Aviv for thousands of Americans.

They definitely notice that other nations acted swiftly to airlift citizens out.

>> wake up Washington because over one dozen countries sent planes to Israel to take citizens home.

Who do you think was not on the list, the USA.

>> some flight itineraries make several hops.

From Tel Aviv to the Ireland of Cyprus, Athens onto here at Newark.

The U.S. Embassy is asking Americans in Israel and the West Bank to register online for charter flights.

>> we were lucky to find this one.

The last two seats on the flight, the flight is packed.

>> we worked with travel agents and were finally able to get a flight.

>> Shlomo and his family live in Florida but ordered the first flight out of Tel Aviv.

People are arriving flew in 12 hours nonstop on JetBlue.

-- drove up from Maryland, spent a couple of hours pacing the terminal waiting for in-laws to arrive and then more hugs.

>> we brought them here so everyone would be safer but our heart is with the hostages and the people who got killed.

That is where our heart is.

>> a los claims almost 200 hostages, possibly some from New Jersey but negotiations remained deadlocked.

Israelis hope to raise money in support of the war effort.

He is grateful for President Biden's visit to Israel tomorrow.

>> God bless America for your support, for your help.

God bless you all.

>> this is all family.

The unity of Israel, the Jewish people, is something we've always heard about and felt on and off through history.

>> everyone feel strongly it is their country and they are not deserting it.

>> Americans pushing mountains of suitcases found lucky to be home.

In Newark, Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.

>> President Biden's visit to Israel is intended to show support for the United States closest Middle East ally but he is slated to address Israeli leaders on how to prevent unnecessary civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on the ground.

First Israel and then Jordan laying the framework and ushering humanitarian aid that had been blocked.

All part of efforts to head off a wider regional conflict.

With the United States uniquely positioned to influence Israel and Arab officials as many hold onto hope of a reshaped Middle East and diplomatic normalization.

For more insight on the war and political players I'm joined by Michael Boyle, associate professor at the records Camden Department of political science who focuses on terrorism and political violence.

Let me ask you first, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel, President Biden is making a visit.

What does the U.S. foreign interest in the war?

>> part of the reason President Biden is there is to signal the closeness of the U.S. to Israel and backing the United States at a moment of peril but there is a wider set of objectives.

The United States is trying to ensure that what happens next is consistent with U.S. interests.

Is there a plan for the administration if there is a ground invasion, what will happen in terms of the humanitarian corridor.

Part of it is signaling support and also what do we want the postwar situation to look like and how do we make sure it does not get out of control?

>> what is it that Hamas wants and is there an opportunity for that to be gained at this moment in time where things stand?

>> so is a broad question they have traditionally been an enemy of Israel and their charter calls for the destruction of Israel.

We think about tactical objectives, what did it want to do in this raid when they abducted 200 or 250 people, there is a debate over what they wanted.

Hamas seems to think that this would produce a prisoner exchange and that is something that has happened in the past.

The abduction from the Israeli army negotiated that got Palestinian prisoners out of jail.

They said something about we thought we would do this raid and get negotiation over prisoners and I think Hamas miscalculated the degree of anger within Israel, it's an affront to the state.

What we are seeing is a situation spiraling out of control due to the miscalculation.

>> you mentioned a moral threat and it makes me think of proportionality.

We have human officials and other officials who have said Israel's response in Gaza is not proportionate, both sides have committed war crimes.

If you can and this is a loaded question but the conflict has been going on for so many years, the occupation of Palestine and the way with which this is viewed, the fact that violence has been essentially bubbling in corners of the country for many years and so to that extent can you speak to how the tension has been rising?

>> so I think there has been a long-standing conflict for a number of years between Hamas and Israel over the Palestinian situation in Gaza as occupied territories and a two state Palestinian state.

So in the short run the question is when Israel strikes at Hamas in Gaza are attacks proportional and consistent with the laws of war?

You have a moral obligation to make sure you do not target civilians deliberately and that is the moral and political burden on the Army which is to say if you are going to invade in the North are you going to do it in a way that ensures protection?

That is part of the miscalculation is from the Israeli point of view the goal is to destroy Hamas.

You have to go into Gaza and the tunnels they have built and that is a costly military effort that will involve substantial commitment of resources and risk you to do in an urban environment.

The real question is what does Hezbollah do?

Token strikes to look like it is resisting but not engage in a regional war #or do they do something more substantial in which case this could spiral out of control into a regional war where Israel is fighting Gaza, Lebanon and other actors like Iran and the United States.

So at a minimum, a ground invasion of Gaza will be costly.

At a maximum, a wider regional war.

>> Michael Boyle is associate Professor of political science at Rutgers Camden.

Thank you so much.

Federal authorities are launching a civil rights investigation into the states capital city and Police Department.

The Department of Justice is probing misconduct within the Trenton police foresight and concerns that officers regularly used excessive force and routinely stop motorists and pedestrians without justification, illegally searching homes and cars.

In announcing the investigation New Jersey's U.S. attorney said it Trenton residents have long complained about the department's alleged practices leading to the federal inquiry.

Mayor Breed in police director Steve Wilson say they will cooperate.

The union representing police officers responded citing ongoing staffing shortages since 2011 when budget cuts forced the city to lay off more than 100 officers.

If the investigation reveals the department broke federal law the DOJ can sue to force changes.

Cops in Jersey City are caught up in a fight over off-duty cannabis use.

The city is filing a lawsuit in a bid to stop police officers from using legal weed when they are not on the job.

Arguing New Jersey's adult use marijuana industry goes against current federal laws.

As Ted reports, the lawsuit could pave the way for future battles within police departments across the state.

>> Jersey City is fighting to keep its police officers from using cannabis even while they are off-duty and the city is bringing the fight to federal court.

>> any reasonable person would say that there should be carveouts with regards to specific professions.

Think about a bus driver that takes her child to school, there's not a carveout in New Jersey for rules and laws prohibiting that.

>> while Jerzy has approved 40 dispensaries within city limits they are in the process of terminating five officers who tested positive for cannabis.

Mayor Steve is suing the state and the Civil Service Commission to clarify that federal law takes precedence over New Jersey law which does not have carveouts for any job when it comes to cannabis.

>> you talk about police officers, life and death are a part of them.

The fact that the laws from the state of New Jersey conflict with ATF and federal law exposes Jersey City to millions of dollars in potential liability.

>> there is no specific test.

Everyone is looking around the world for a test that can tell whether you smoked marijuana recently or previously.

>> then announced the lawsuit two miles away from the recreational dispensaries that opened this year.

He says the issue is state law conflicting with federal law.

According to the gun control act of 1968 you cannot own a gun if you use a schedule one drug and according to federal regulations cannabis is still a schedule one drug read >> that is the law.

If I provide ammunition to a person I'm breaking the law if I know they are a marijuana user.

Carrying a firearm is an absolute requirement of a police officer.

You cannot be a police officer if you are not eligible to carry a firearm.

Five officers chose to even after receiving this notice use cannabis and as a result we can no longer arm them or provide them with ammunition.

>> the lawsuit publicly names the five officers, two of them previously sued Jersey City winning reinstatement but the city is appealing.

Public safety director James says the issue is giving a firearm to admitted cannabis users, not cannabis usage itself.

>> they claim that we fired them because they used marijuana which we did not.

As a matter of fact when they were terminated we offered every single one of them any job in public safety that does not are carrying a firearm we offered them those jobs and they declined.

>> we reached out to the attorney representing them and did not hear back.

The Director is confident Jersey City will win the case and avoid the reinstatement of the other officers.

>> there are no facts in dispute.

We agree that they utilized THC, we agreed they would need to carry a firearm, so it should be as easy as a judge clarifying the clause that the federal law is supreme over the state.

>> Attorney General that said law enforcement agencies may not punish police officers for using cannabis off the clock if it does not affect job performance but that has not been written into law which could lead to municipalities suing cube officers from using cannabis.

In Jersey City, Ted Goldberg NJ Spotlight News.

>> in our spotlight on business report, shovels are going in the ground after decades of planning.

Construction on the first phase of the Gateway tunnel project will start in the next few weeks according to transportation officials read the CEO of the development commission revealed at a meeting on Monday the early construction will kick off in North Bergen.

The work is part of a $16 billion project to construct tunnels between New York and New Jersey along with rehabilitating the century old existing tunnels still in use.

The project has been broken into nine parts allowing work to begin while going through a process to qualify for federal grants.

The Biden administration awarded Gateway $7 billion grant still being approved but is considered a major milestone in getting the tunnels built.

Turning to Wall Street, stocks soared after retail sales data smashed expectations and earnings season picked up steam.

Here is how the markets closed.

♪ >> as the state eyes making improvements to maternal health at least one hospital system is offering help for expecting parents and it is free.

According to care point health Hoboken Medical Center is the only area hospital offering prenatal and maternity classes free of charge and in person.

Soon to be moms say is a critical service that many families would miss out on if they had to pay.

Raven Santana reports.

>> I'm here to get a little lactation support and meet some other moms.

>> Allison son is four days old but she is determined to start motherhood on the right foot.

>> is hard to adjust to this and having this resource is awesome.

I don't think my insurance covers lactation so being able to do this is a huge help I would not be able to afford .

>> she won't have to worry about financial constraints now that free classes are offered at Hoboken University Medical Center.

>> neighboring hospitals I know the cost is close to $300 and most of those classes are still virtual.

We are here in person and we have experts in their fields doing the education.

>> Phyllis is the director of nursing for eternal child health at the hospital.

She says they have seen a significant increase in attendance since they started offering the program for free in April.

>> we open up the classes we've had a 77% increase in attendance in our classes.

We have prenatal classes and safety, newborn classes.

We have a dad support group and we have many other classes that we give for free.

>> I have seen other local support groups that charge and if you are able to commit to that that's great but I appreciate the ability to come in and out of this one based on circumstances.

If my baby is having a rough day or I had a rough night it is hard to be able to make that call and we already committed funds to a certain time of sessions, this provides more flexibility which I think is important to a new mom.

>> one of you noticed since the of limitation?

>> my attendance in the breast-feeding class has quadrupled.

I have a wonderful -- I love to have them facing me, looking at me so we can have a one-on-one interaction and I can read what their facial expressions are telling me so when I say something and I see a quizzical look on their face, then I can say what is concerning you about what I said and then they will say something back to me and I address their specific concerns person by person.

>> I'm looking forward to meeting other moms in hearing from professionals versus that Internet about tips and tricks for being a new mom and navigating this new life.

I think it could be a resource but you can go down holes of may be something you are experiencing you think is like bad.

When maybe it is normal.

Hearing it from a professional would make me feel better just because hearing this is normal and how to navigate that versus reading something that seems more concrete.

>> staff says the service is critical especially for working class expected parents to cap benefit from information but may not be able to afford it.

>> in-depth education before they go into labor, before they go into their delivery, giving them education on what the process is so uninformed patient is so much better, they do better than patients that are not informed.

>> given the demand for the weekly classes that anyone can attend, staff hopes to expand classes to the weekends.

I am Raven Santana.

>> support is provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, an independent licensee of the blue cost shield Association read.

>> where three weeks from election day in New Jersey and in an effort to help residents make an informed decision before voting, our news team put together a multimedia guide called got to know Jerzy.

To walk you through everything you need to know before November 7.

In this week's installment we look at the crucial role of the state legislature, all 120 members are on the ballot this year and the latest video explains why voting for local representatives gives state residents the greatest say in items that impact their lives the most.

Legislators write laws running the gamut from defining crimes and penalties to property taxes and school aid, take a look.

♪ >> the New Jersey Legislature is like Congress made up of 120 elected officials who write laws and operate out of the statehouse.

The legislature is composed of two houses.

Its members are elected to represent 40 districts that the state is divided into.

Each gets one senator and two assembly members, meaning you have three lawmakers representing you and you get to choose them every two years when there is a legislative election.

>> check out our full got to know Jerzy series under the NJ decides 2023 THAAD.

Don't forget to download the NJ Spotlight News podcast so you can listen anytime.

That will do it for us tonight.

For the entire NJ Spotlight News team, thank you for being with us, have a great evening and we will see you back here tomorrow.

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>> have some water.

Look at these kids.

What do you see?

I see myself.

I became an ESL teacher to give my students what I wanted when I came to this country.

The opportunity to learn, to dream, to achieve, a chance to be known and to be an American.

My name is Julia and I am proud to be an NJEA member.

♪ And JM insurance group has been serving New Jersey businesses for over one century as part of the garden date.

We help companies keep their vehicles on the road, employees on the job and projects on track.

Working to protect employees from illness and injury, to keep goods and services moving across the state.

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