the first wave of Palestinian evacuees today made it through the Rafa Crossing from Gaza to Egypt the Border opening to those fleeing for the first time since the outbreak of the Israel Hamas war after weeks of negotiations between the US Israeli and Egyptian governments and Hamas with cutter mediating the deal US citizens are confirmed to be among the more than 300 foreign Nationals making up this initial group crossing the border dozens of of other evacuees included critically wounded Palestinians who are now getting Medical Care in Egypt it comes as the Israeli military claimed responsibility for an air strike on the neighborhood of jabalia a refugee camp in Gaza City killing dozens and wounding hundreds more according to Palestinian officials making it the third such strike on the densely packed area in the last 24 hours Israel Defense Forces said the strike targeted and killed a top h Commander but Hamas denies that claim gaza's Health Ministry says nearly 8,800 Palestinians have been killed in air strikes since the conflict started three weeks ago the result of an October 7th attack by Hamas that killed 1,400 Israelis the war sparking outrage here at home and a nationwide walk out today at more than a hundred colleges and universities including ruter where pro-israel and pro Palestinian groups have clashed ior correspondent Renda Flanigan reports H away you hi you you're supporting jde you're supporting genocide students for justice in Palestine organized this demonstration their second at the Ruckers New Brunswick campus to demand the university dump its Israeli Investments the students joined a nationwide walk out at an estimated 100 campuses all focused on the same goal BDS or boycott divestment sanctions no more money for Israel's crime no more money for Israel's crime we cannot allow it we cannot stand for the kind of language and the kind of views that rers that supports hate crimes towards us and towards our people who anybody over 8,000 people have been killed um 40% of homes have been demolished and when the US is funding that when Ruckers is contributing to that it's a shame students refused to show their faces saying they've encountered islamophobic reprisals even as they grieve for family in Gaza if she says I'm hurting it sometimes feels like well you can't say that right now you can't say to stop the bombing because that seem is somehow anti-semitic Kaiser Islam's a chaplain at the center for Islamic life at ruter he calls these protests displays of anger like the call for inapa or a rebellion they feel their humanity and their familyes Humanities are being stripped away from them with each side entrenched tensions keep rising at New Jersey's largest university especially among students at Jewish centers here including habad and H houses for Jewish students some people and there's a decent percentage that are very outraged with what's going on and want to take a stance to whether it's a rally or vigil outside the habad house ripped up posters of Israelis taken hostage during the Hamas terror attack Mark campus confrontation says Rabbi ysf carach and and when some of our students were filming this person or these people tearing down the signs they were then verbally yelled at and you know uh abused the wer protest comes as the war in Gaza rages on driving a spike in hate crimes police yesterday charged a 21-year-old Cornell student in connection with online death threats against Jewish students there at Ruckers some of the students are physically afraid to leave leave the building and when they go out they want to go out with friends and they feel that the street or certain elements of the street uh can cause them harm the Anti-Defamation League reports an over 388 per spike in anti-semitic incidents across the us since the October 7th Hamas attack compared to last year as for the BDS movement a movement which we consider to be anti-semitic at its core uh in that it uh is is looking to delegitimize the state of Israel um in terms of us assistance Kamas is not an entity that believes in the in the two-state solution they believe in wiping Israel off the map Rucker says its police department has increased security and patrols especially around religious properties it says it's also closely monitoring social media along with the FBI state and federal agency even amidst ramped up federal surveillance some Muslims here at Rucker complain authorities aren't addressing Rising islamophobia they fear a retribution in terms of jobs in terms of being docked and on this very campus just last week on Wednesday we had a young Palestinian woman attacked by a random bystander he says the attacker was arrested as for the divestment rally Rucker says its investment policy encourages members of the university community to submit divestment requests and manages endowment pursuant to the University's investment policy students didn't say whether they've actually submitted a formal divestment motion with the school in New Brunswick I'm Brenda Flanagan NJ Spotlight news