“What I See in Gaza Is Heartbreaking – The Cries of Children Devastate Me”: Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that the images coming out of Gaza since the war began have left him disturbed, calling them “very painful” and admitting they make him “deeply troubled” and “very afraid.”
After receiving an honorary degree at the University of Manchester on Monday, the Spanish Premier League manager addressed a member of the audience and urged the world not to remain silent “in the face of injustice.”
Guardiola stated, “What I see in Gaza is heartbreaking. It hurts my whole body.”
He continued:
“Maybe we think that when we see four-year-old boys and girls being killed by bombs or in hospitals – where there are no hospitals anymore – it’s not our business. Yes, okay, maybe it’s not our business. But be careful – the next four- or five-year-old child could be ours.”
Referring to his own three children — Maria, Màrius, and Valentina — Guardiola said that ever since the “nightmare began in Gaza,” he has been haunted every morning when he sees his daughters and son, thinking about the children of Gaza, which “terrifies” him.
Many surviving children in Gaza have endured multiple traumas of war, and all have lived their lives under the Israeli blockade.
Over the past 20 months, their homes have been turned to rubble by Israeli airstrikes, their schools destroyed, and their access to healthcare shattered.
Guardiola added, “We often feel safer staying silent than speaking up.”
He reflected: “Maybe these images feel far away from where we are right now, and you may ask what can we do?”
He then told a story about a small bird that tried to extinguish a forest fire by carrying drops of water in its beak:
“In a world that often tells us we are too small to make a difference, that story reminds me that power is not about size — it’s about choice, about showing up, about refusing to be silent or still when it matters most.”
The former Barcelona coach and player said images from Palestine, Sudan, and Ukraine have left him “deeply troubled.”
Having previously voiced support for Catalonia’s independence, Guardiola strongly criticized world leaders for their failure to stop the war.
“We are witnessing the horrors faced by thousands of innocent children, mothers, and fathers. Entire families are suffering, starving, and being killed, while we are often surrounded by leadership – not just politicians – who don’t seem to care about inequality or injustice.”
On Tuesday, a report by an independent United Nations commission accused Israel of committing crimes against humanity by targeting Palestinian civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites in Gaza, describing such attacks as part of a policy of “extermination.”
The report stated:
“Although the destruction of cultural property, including educational institutions, does not in itself constitute genocide, such actions may serve as evidence of genocidal intent to destroy a protected group.”
