Jawdat Mikhael lives in Bethlehem, but his family is trapped in Northern Gaza. His parents, brother and dozens of other relatives have been sheltering in the Holy Family Church near Shejaiya in the east of Gaza City - an area devastated by Israeli bombardment.
As Jawdat and I are talking, a call from his father Han'na Mikhael comes through.
Image caption,
Jawdat Mikhael speaks with his father, who is still in Gaza
The line is crackly and connection is unstable - yet he hangs on for a glimpse of his dad.
Han'na tells his son the family is doing ok. He says he's managed to venture out of the church for the first time in more than two weeks to try to find some food. He says that all is left around the church is rubble and that all the shops are burned. "It's total destruction," he says.
He wells up as he says that communications are down and that there is no water. Food is scarce, too - "enough to keep you alive - not to fill your stomach," he says.
Han'na cries as he tells me about how different Christmas was last year.
"On days like this, we'd be decorating the church. There'd be carols. People would come over to help. But now we're just praying to make it out of here alive."
The family has already suffered a terrible loss.
A week ago, Jawdat's grandmother, Naheda Khalil Anton - who was also sheltering in the church in Gaza - was shot twice in the stomach as she was on her way to the bathroom. His aunt Samar Kamal Anton rushed to help her and was shot in the head.
Jawdat shows me pictures of the immediate aftermath and the funeral.