INDIANAPOLIS — "I'll tell you the truth, I'm sitting here and my hands are shaking," said 64-year-old Gadi Boukai.
He can't help it.
It's the physical response Boukaj has every time he thinks about the people he loves who are in Israel right now and what's going on there.
"When we woke up on Saturday to the news, it was unbelievable," Boukai said.
His daughter, Maya, who got married there in June, and his three siblings, along with their families, are all in the northern part of Israel.
For now, they're safe, but Boukai worries that could change at any moment.
"In this situation, there is no safe place in Israel because everything is in the range of missiles," Boukaj said.
Boukai has talked to his daughter about coming back to the United States. She's a citizen. The decision to leave, though, is not an easy one.
"She has her husband and his family, and it's just a tough decision to make," Boukai said.
That doesn't stop this father, though, from wishing his daughter was in a safer place.
"I wish she could be next to us," said Boukai, sighing.
For now, all he can do is check in with his daughter and other family members as much as possible. With the constant worry, sleep comes hard. So does eating. And thinking about the lives lost is even harder. It leaves Boukai with so many feelings.
"The first intention is for revenge, but the second consideration is we are human. We need to be human, and I just hope that leaders will be human in the directions they are taking this area to. Otherwise, nobody will lead good lives there," Boukai said.
He is, of course, worried about his family in Israel but acknowledges the loss of life for Palestinians as well.
"If you have the chance to speak to Palestinians here who are worried about their family, hug them for us," Boukai said. "As people, I believe we know how to live together."