in the Middle East the communications blackout in Gaza has surpassed the one week Mark it's the longest stretch of blackout since the War Began humanitarian workers say that's adding to the difficulty of Aid operations it also means Palestinians aren't able to reach their loved ones a statement on Thursday from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is adding to tensions with the US after Netanyahu said the idea of creating a Palestinian state in the future that's something the us as it favors would clap with the security of Israel at war with Hamas since the surprise attacks on October 7th and according to the United Nations nearly 25,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict roughly half are children reports from those on the ground say the situation in Gaza is devastating with allegations mounting against Israel claiming war crimes and genocide are being committed this Sunday a group of 22 New Jersey state lawmakers Educators and other local leaders are leaving on a mission trip to Israel being organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Metro West in what the group says is an attempt to help Community leaders better understand the crisis but those advocating for a ceasefire call the trip propaganda they're urging elected officials not to attend senior correspondent Joana Gagis has the latest this coming Sunday a delegation of 22 new jerseyans including members of the State Assembly Educators and other community members will go on a mission trip to Israel assemblyman Paul kitra is one of them I want to know numbers I want to know figures I want to know timelines I want to know plans for the future um and and I want to just dig in as deeply as possible kitra says he wants to walk away with a better perspective but some here in New Jersey say that perspective is likely to be one-sided because the trip which is organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Metro West is sponsored by the Israeli government and will have a very controlled message I suspect that on the trip the sponsored trip uh they're only going to see and hear one side there's a reason they want you to see that controlled agenda because they're hoping you will come back and act as their uh you know sort of propaganda flax Linda sherzer who coordinated the trip for the Jewish Federation says while they're not taking people to Gaza which is a closed region calling it a propaganda trip is just wrong we're doing our best to present the complexity of what is going on in the region by showing the story through the perspective of Israeli Jews and Arabs who have all lost family members and been affected in numerous ways but stevenh Shalom pushes back on their motives Jewish Federation of Greater Metro West um acts as if it is the Jewish voice in the state of New Jersey but there are lots of Jewish peace groups that take a different point of view lots of Jews no longer support the blind support for is Israel position the Jewish voice for peace of Northern and of central New Jersey joined with if not now in Highland Park to send a letter asking legislators not to participate in what they're calling a propaganda trip former assemblywoman sadoff Jaffer will be disappointed if any of her former Democratic colleagues decide to go I don't think it's right for legislators to be going on an Israel sponsored basically propaganda trip at this point 100 children are being killed every day in Gaza we have 12,000 children have been killed overall more than 23,000 people killed total and residents in New Jersey have lost thousands of family members and I personally know people who've lost personally tens of family members each so I think it's a signal to those people that their perspective and the lives of their families don't matter the trip will not include any meetings with families of Palestinians killed in the IDF response in Gaza learning um about Israel and Israeli Jews uh is obviously um for anybody who wants to learn about the country is is a good thing the problem is that there's not the same um understanding or same time amount of time spent um about U when it when it comes to Palestinians even even Palestinian citizens of Israel as for whether ketra feels that he's participating in a propaganda trip as someone who's traveled to over 100 countries I'm pretty confident in my ability to separate fact from fiction and to ask important questions and to formulate my own opinion when I'm there I've traveled extensively throughout the Middle East I've traveled extensively throughout the Arab world so I think I'm bringing to this trip a perspective that that few may actually have will you attempt in any way to hear the perspectives of Palestinians who have been affected by Israel's response or any other Jewish groups there on the ground to oppose Israel's response I plan on talking to as many people as possible while I'm over there uh I know that we'll be talking with Arabs and Jews alike and I think that that's an important component of this trip the trip will last three days and so far no one has been deterred from going I'm Joanna Gagis NJ Spotlight News