Advocates push for ceasefire in Gaza
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — This week on Empire State Weekly, Israel's war with the militant group Hamas nears one month. This, as the federal government looks to increase humanitarian support to civilians in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Mara Kronenfeld, the Executive Director for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) USA chapter explained the need is great among civilians in Gaza as Israel continues to invade the region, following an attack by Hamas.
She explained that even though Israel agreed to daily pauses in their bombardment to allow humanitarian aid in and civilians to leave, the need is significant.
"The number one message I have for viewers and for all those in the United States is to advocate for a ceasefire the killing has to stop and the other thing is the humanitarian access that's going in right now is a drop is a drop of aid in an ocean of need it is so small in terms of the need and without fuel this aid cant even be distributed across the strip," said Kronenfeld.
Also this week, Sarah Domoff an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at SUNY Albany, gave additional detail on the impacts social media can have on children. This as state officials have proposed the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation Act to change how minors interact with social media, to mediate the negative impacts on their mental health.
"How do we help teens develop better relationships with social media and technology? How do we help steer them towards positive content, or interactions with people they know, and real-life and face-to-face interactions that are positive for them? So part of it is helping teens to develop skills, and how to use social media in ways that could potentially benefit them." Said Domoff.
To see these interviews and more, here is a list of how you can watch Empire State Weekly in your area of New York: