Former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has publicly expressed his solidarity with the Palestinian people by recording a poignant video message. This was shared on the official social media pages of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The Spanish coach delivered a heartfelt monologue addressing the humanitarian catastrophe and the innocent victims of the conflict.
It's not just deaths. These are people who have been killed. They are not just numbers; they had names, faces, families, dreams, and memories, Guardiola stated, urging the global community to reject cold bureaucratic language that erases the tragedy of every individual.
They are not collateral damage. These are girls and boys. When we stop calling things by their names and accept phrases that hide the pain, we begin to lose our humanity.
With a heavy heart, Guardiola expressed his concerns for the younger generation that is stripped of its future:
We see them losing everything before they've even grown up. This hell continues, along with the dehumanisation of the Palestinian people. Their lives are just as valuable as ours. Their pain is not foreign to us.
Guardiola emphasised that no one has the right to remain indifferent in the face of what is happening:
Do not forget. Solidarity with Palestine must not cease, nor can our responsibility. To date, the Israeli government has killed over 74,000 people in Gaza and continues to block humanitarian aid. Silence today is a way of taking a side. But we cannot close our eyes. We are living through a very dark period in our history.
The coach specifically reached out to those who can support humanitarian missions:
Palestine matters, and it needs justice and peace. Please, if you have the means, support UNRWA so we can continue delivering aid to those who need it most.
In conclusion of his message, Guardiola shared his profound personal sorrow:
It hurts to see what is happening in Gaza. I feel this pain in my entire being. Perhaps when we see four-year-old children killed by bombs or dying in hospitals that can no longer function, we think it doesn't concern us. But be careful: the next four or five-year-olds could be ours.
