The plea from families of hostages being held in Gaza is getting more desperate begging the US government to help bring them home after 103 days in captivity today the American and Israeli families of hostages shared graphic and harrowing stories about last words with their loved ones during a bipartisan press conference at the US Capitol the mother of 19-year-old Tenafly native Edan Alexander was among the group holding a poster bearing his face but she didn't speak the renewed push for a hostage release comes as the conflict between Israel and Hamas spreads in the Middle East and public support for a ceasefire increases with un reports revealing more than 22,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war here at home tensions are also High especially on college campuses today Rutgers University lifted the suspension on its students for justice in Palestine chapter following an investigation into alleged disruptive behavior but as Melissa Rose Cooper reports members say the move was an effort to silence their voices as a result of our Collective efforts as students we proudly announce that students for justice in Palestine has been reinstated at Rutgers University a round of applause as members of students for justice in Palestine announced they have been reinstated after Rutgers New Brunswick suspended the organization last month the university saying its decision to suspend the group was in response to multiple complaints of gatherings and events that caus people on campus to feel unsafe first and foremost everyone has the right to free speech and I nobody on SJP has ever threatened anybody with any type of violence rather SJP members have been threatened themselves and that's that should be cause of um academic or criminal um consequences not fighting for Palestine members of SJP maintain all of their actions have included peaceful protests and say Rutgers failed to protect their right to express their support for Palestine there is genuinely something very dystopian as a Palestinian going to school doing work and taking exams while your family is currently displaced dead or missing in the rubble ruggers a university that prided itself on its diversity could have supported Palestinian students suffering during this time instead our university has chosen to suppress our voices experiences and demands the unprofessional manner in which the record Administration has treated their grieving Palestinian students is yet another example of the disappointing and poor leadership on campus an action which reminds us that in the struggle for Freedom it is us the students community and grassroot organizers who keep us safe now students want Rutgers to carry out several demands including issuing a public apology for the suspension student organizers faced unprecedented harassment and doxing due to the Rutgers Administration including the leaking of our suspension letter which included the name of an SJP organizer Rutgers denies the suspension was based on SJP speech and insist it was instead a result of their protest in non-public forums that caused disruption to clim which violates University policy a spokesperson adding in a statement Rutgers stands against islamophobia antisemitism and against all forms of bias intolerance and hate the university strives to be a safe and supportive environment for all our students faculty and staff while adhering to our commitment to free speech we reject absolutely intolerance based on religion national origin race ethnicity gender sexual orientation ability or political views over 150 student organizations signed on to our call for reinstatement our letter condemning the University's racist suspension has over 25,000 likes on Instagram the mag sorry for context that is over half of the school's total number of students enrolled it's a big number while SJP has been reinstated the organization remains on probation until the end of the year students say they'll continue to exercise their freedom of speech and push for Rutgers to take accountability for its actions for NJ Spotlight news I'm Melissa Rose Cooper