Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has voiced deep sorrow over the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, describing the images of children killed in Israeli attacks as “painful” and emotionally harrowing.
The Spanish coach made the comments during a speech after being awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Manchester on Monday. Addressing the audience, Guardiola criticised global silence in the face of what he called clear injustice.
“What’s happening in Gaza is deeply painful. It affects every part of me,” he said. “We might believe that seeing four-year-old boys and girls dying in hospitals or under bomb attacks isn’t our concern. But beware – the next children to suffer could be our own.”
Guardiola, a father of three, said he can’t look at his children – Maria, Marius, and Valentina – without being reminded of the suffering endured by Palestinian youngsters. “Every morning since this nightmare began, I see my kids and I’m scared, thinking about those in Gaza,” he added.
Gaza, home to 2.3 million people, is made up of nearly 50% children. Since October 7, 2023, at least 17,400 Palestinian children have been killed, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, with thousands more presumed dead beneath the rubble. Many who survive face lifelong trauma, living under a crippling Israeli blockade.
Over the past 20 months, Israeli airstrikes have demolished homes, flattened schools and devastated Gaza’s already fragile healthcare system.
Guardiola condemned the global reluctance to speak out. “We feel safer staying quiet than standing up. But perhaps we should ask what we can do,” he said. He illustrated this point with a story of a small bird trying to put out a forest fire by carrying drops of water in its beak — a metaphor, he said, for taking action regardless of scale.
“In a world that constantly tells us we’re too small to make a difference, that story reminds us that the power of one lies in choice — in speaking up and refusing to stay still when it matters most,” Guardiola said.
He also expressed concern over the violence in Sudan and Ukraine, and criticised global leaders for their failure to prevent or resolve these conflicts. “We witness horrors—thousands of innocent children and families suffering, starving, being killed—yet those in power, not just politicians, often fail to address this injustice.”
Guardiola has previously shown support for the independence of Catalonia, his native region.
His comments coincided with the release of a damning report by an independent United Nations commission, which accuses Israel of committing crimes against humanity in Gaza, including the “extermination” of civilians seeking shelter in schools and places of worship.
The report stopped short of declaring these acts genocidal but said they could indicate intent to destroy a protected group. It also detailed the destruction of the Palestinian education system in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, citing military raids, harassment and settler violence as major factors.
“Children in Gaza have lost their childhoods,” the report stated. “With no access to education, they now worry only about survival amidst ongoing attacks, hunger and inhumane living conditions.”
It warned that educational facilities have been systematically targeted, not just in Gaza but across all Palestinian territories.
