All right now. I'm in my childhood bedroom right now. I'm about to interview my dad and

feeling pretty anxious about it.

We'll see how it goes.

All right.

Last November, I flew home to North Carolina where my parents and siblings live.

I make a trip back home every few months and they're pretty routine.

My mom, excited to see her kids, will whip up our favorite childhood dishes and at night my

dad will call us out to the front yard to gather around the fire pit. He'll cut up

some fruit and before we even finish he'll insist we eat more.

But this time was different.

My parents couldn't stop watching the news.

My mom was glued to her phone, and my dad was on his computer in his office, which is where I interviewed him.

Okay, are you going to be comfortable in this chair?

So I know this is a little silly to ask you but just so we have it. Can you introduce yourself?

I am Jamale Harris. I am the father of Rima.

We live here in North Carolina.

Just because people can't see where we are. Can you describe the room that we're in right now?

We are in the office by the desktop by the kitchen and it's now 68 degrees inside the house, which is, okay.

I really wanted to sit down with my dad to talk with him about the thing that's consumed

us as a family for the last several months.

Most of our relatives live in Gaza, and it's also where my parents grew up.

The devastation there and how it's impacting our family at times feels impossible to absorb,

...