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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration has approved a massive extension of the city’s hotel shelter program, renewing a contract worth as much as $1.86 billion that will allow hotels throughout the five boroughs to continue housing homeless individuals and families through 2029.

According to the New York Post, the renewed agreement with the Hotel Association of New York City Foundation, which represents nearly 300 hotels, covers the period from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029. The arrangement allows the city to place people seeking emergency shelter in hotel rooms when additional space is needed to comply with New York City’s legal right-to-shelter requirement.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeless Services said, “Over the last 15 years, DHS has faced numerous crises that forced it to rely on commercial hotels to temporarily house clients.”

The spokesperson continued, “DHS is focused not only on upholding New York City’s right to shelter but improving outcomes for all the New Yorkers we serve. As such, we continue to work to transform the city’s shelter system by opening new, high-quality shelters while gradually phasing out the use of commercial hotels for families with children.”

City officials said the extension is intended to preserve enough emergency shelter space while the city transitions to more permanent housing facilities. Under New York City’s right-to-shelter law, officials are required to provide housing to anyone who requests it.

As of July 31, the Department of Homeless Services reported that 82,929 adults and children were staying in shelters across New York City.

Explaining the decision, the department said, “By exercising the renewal option of the agency’s master contract with HANYC, DHS will be able to retain critical hotel capacity, as needed, while we work to bring more traditional capacity online, reduce reliance on hotels, and rightsize our shelter footprint over the coming years.”

Officials emphasized that while the agreement authorizes spending of up to $1.86 billion, the city is not expected to necessarily use the full amount because hotel rooms will only be utilized when additional shelter capacity is required.

New York City dramatically expanded its reliance on hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to reduce overcrowding in traditional shelters. The same approach was later used during the migrant crisis, when thousands of asylum seekers arrived in the city.

At the height of that influx, approximately 150 hotels, motels, and inns were converted into temporary shelters.

The Hotel Association of New York City Foundation said it was awarded the original contract in January 2025 after prevailing in a competitive bidding process.

“It is a continuation of HANYC’s well-documented role as a responsible stakeholder since the COVID crisis when the organization moved, pro bono, over 18,000 people from shelters to hotels on an emergency basis from May 2020 to December 2021,” said the organization’s chief executive officer, Vijay Dandapani.

Beyond the hotel agreement itself, the Department of Homeless Services also approved more than $87 million in contracts through its Integrated Commercial Hotels Program to provide services for homeless residents housed in those facilities.

Housing Works received a $47.2 million contract, while Neighbors 4 Neighbors was awarded $40.28 million to provide on-site support and assist homeless individuals and families with their daily needs.

The city’s continued use of hotels as shelters has sparked criticism from those who argue that removing thousands of hotel rooms from the tourism market contributes to New York City’s already high lodging prices.

Homelessness advocates, however, contend that the program remains necessary because the city still lacks sufficient shelter space and affordable housing to meet existing demand.

Nine people, including seven children, were injured Monday afternoon after a vehicle transporting students from a special education school crashed into a tree on the Palisades Interstate Parkway between New York and New Jersey.

The accident occurred at approximately 1:15 p.m. local time in the southbound lanes of the Palisades Parkway near Exit 11, prompting a large emergency response from multiple agencies.

Numerous emergency personnel responded to the scene, including Hatzalah volunteers, Spring Hill EMS, Rockland County paramedics, and several law enforcement units. First responders treated the injured, secured the crash site, and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident.

According to sources, the vehicle was transporting seven children and two adults from a special education school when it veered off the road and struck a tree. One child sustained serious injuries, while the remaining passengers were reported to be in stable condition.

All nine occupants of the vehicle were transported to Westchester Medical Center for treatment. No additional information has been released regarding the condition of the child who was seriously injured.

The accident caused major traffic delays in the southbound lanes of the Palisades Parkway, and motorists were advised to avoid the area and use alternate routes while emergency crews remained on the scene.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the crash.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace is calling on Israel to stop its ongoing air campaign in Gaza, arguing that the continued strikes are putting a U.S.-backed peace initiative at risk. The appeal comes after Hamas agreed to a proposed framework, though Israel has not fully accepted the plan.

According to the Washington Examiner, Israeli warplanes continued carrying out airstrikes throughout the Gaza Strip over the weekend despite Hamas’ acceptance last week of a framework that would require the terrorist group to demilitarize in exchange for a broader ceasefire and political agreement.

The Examiner reported that Board of Peace Director-General Nikolay Mladenov met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday in an effort to persuade Israel to immediately halt the military operation.

Mladenov argued that the continued strikes are damaging prospects for peace while further worsening the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

“The Israeli strikes have killed civilians and destroyed medical supplies that people depend on,” Mladenov said Sunday.

He further stated that both Israel and Hamas remain bound by the Comprehensive Plan and the Sharm El Sheikh agreement, which led to the release of the remaining hostages and established the foundation for the current diplomatic process.

The Board of Peace maintains that Israel is obligated to follow the framework because of commitments made during last year’s Gaza peace summit.

Israeli officials, however, have voiced concerns about key elements of the proposal, citing questions about security guarantees, how the agreement would be implemented, and whether Hamas will actually fulfill its obligations before Israel is expected to take additional steps.

The disagreement comes as renewed fighting has cast fresh doubt on hopes of reaching a lasting ceasefire.

Although the United States and regional mediators continue working toward a diplomatic resolution, Israel has pressed ahead with strikes against what it says are Hamas military targets. Israeli leaders have insisted that operations will continue until the country’s security objectives are achieved.

Hamas has said it is willing to proceed with the demilitarization framework, provided Israel also carries out its commitments under the proposed agreement.

The Board of Peace has cautioned that further military action by either side could derail implementation of the broader peace plan and postpone efforts to rebuild Gaza.

For its part, Israel has given no indication that it plans to suspend military operations, maintaining that Hamas must first prove it is fully complying with the agreement before Israel considers making additional concessions.

Iran on Monday denied President Donald Trump’s assertion that negotiations with the United States were about to begin, insisting that no meetings are planned and that no diplomatic contacts with Washington are currently taking place.

The denial came after Trump announced that he had decided against authorizing military strikes on Iran and instead would pursue a diplomatic path.

Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said, “Would I rather make a deal? I’m not looking to kill people.”

He also declared, “Now what we’re doing is talking to them, in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon,” though he did not specify where the discussions would take place or who would participate.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei dismissed Trump’s statement, saying there are no negotiations underway with the United States and no meetings scheduled. He added that Iran has no intention of receiving foreign delegations or sending its own negotiators abroad in the coming days.

Baghaei said all of Iran’s negotiating officials are currently inside the country, with the exception of Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who is on a religious pilgrimage in Iraq. He added that the only ongoing diplomatic discussions involve Oman and are focused on issues related to the Strait of Hormuz.

A senior Iranian official also told Reuters that no negotiations with the United States are planned and said Araqchi is expected to remain unavailable until at least the end of the week.

The latest exchange follows a pattern that has emerged since Trump launched “Operation Epic Fury” alongside Israel more than five months ago, in which threats of U.S. military action have repeatedly been followed by renewed efforts to pursue diplomacy.

Despite those efforts, Iran has consistently refused to resume negotiations with Washington since a memorandum of understanding intended to end the conflict fell apart in early July.

The Trump administration has said its goals include dismantling Iran’s nuclear program, weakening Tehran’s ability to threaten neighboring countries, and creating conditions that could lead to political change within the Islamic Republic. Analysts continue to debate how much progress has been made toward those objectives.

The military confrontation has produced repeated cycles of escalation and retaliation involving U.S. forces, Iran, America’s Gulf allies, and commercial shipping, with periods of fighting alternating with diplomatic outreach.

One of the central sticking points remains the Strait of Hormuz. The United States maintains that the June memorandum required Iran to keep the strategic waterway open, while Iranian officials contend the agreement explicitly preserved Tehran’s authority over maritime traffic through the strait.

Some analysts believe such an interpretation would leave Iran with greater influence over the shipping lane than it had before the conflict, a result they argue would represent a setback for the Trump administration.

Iran has continued to reject U.S. demands concerning the Strait of Hormuz, and the uncertainty surrounding the vital waterway has contributed to rising global oil prices and politically sensitive increases in gasoline prices in the United States.

Oil markets reacted positively on Monday after Trump opted not to proceed with military action, with Brent crude prices falling by more than 4% to roughly $84 per barrel.

Meanwhile, the British maritime security agency UKMTO reported that the captain of a vessel traveling through the Strait of Hormuz observed an explosion in the water near the ship overnight. No injuries were reported.