The war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas is hitting close to home in Florida.
Dozens of Floridians are already on their way to the war-torn region as reservists in the Israeli Defense Force.
"Some of them go to other places in the world because it's hard to find flights to Israel. Many are going to Israel to volunteer. We are facing a long and gruesome battle," says Consul General of Israel in Miami Maor Elbaz-Starinsky.
He adds Jewish people in Florida don't need an official order to report to service, "We know this is the right thing to do for our country, especially in its most dire situation, maybe in the history, certainly since Yom Kippur War 50 years ago."
He calls last night one of the saddest moments in his career when he had to notify a family that a loved one, who was an officer in Israeli Special Forces, had been killed in the conflict.
While law enforcement presence has been upped outside South Florida synagogues and the consulate, as a precaution. The Consul General fears as this war goes on, there could be a further rise in antisemitism.
(Photo by Peter Nicholls/Getty Images)