Former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has renewed his criticism of Israel, accusing its government of killing tens of thousands of people in Gaza and obstructing humanitarian aid in a video supporting UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees.
In the video, which runs for just over three minutes, the Spanish coach urged the international community to continue supporting Palestinians and donate to the agency. Guardiola, who has previously described Israel's military campaign in Gaza as "genocide," focused on the suffering of Palestinian civilians, particularly children, and the human cost of the war.
Pep Guardiola wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh. The former Manchester City manager voiced support for UNRWA
(Photo: Europa Press Via Getty Images)
"These are not simply deaths. These are people who were murdered. They are not numbers. They are lives that had names, faces, families, dreams and memories," Guardiola said at the beginning of the video. "They are not collateral damage. They are girls and boys. When we stop calling things by their names, when we accept language that hides the pain, we begin to lose our humanity."
Guardiola went on to describe scenes of children searching for their parents beneath the rubble, pleading for help, enduring hunger and being left alone.
"We see them losing everything before they have even had the chance to grow up," he said. "And the hell continues, along with the dehumanization of the Palestinian people. Their lives matter just as much as ours. Their pain is not foreign to us."
The former City boss then directed his criticism at Israel's government, accusing it of responsibility for widespread deaths and restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
"Don't forget. Solidarity with Palestine cannot take a break, and neither can our responsibility," Guardiola said. "As of today, the Israeli government has killed more than 74,000 people in Gaza and continues to obstruct the entry of humanitarian aid."
Guardiola ended his message with an appeal for continued international support for UNRWA, stressing that the suffering of Palestinians should not disappear from public attention.
"Silence today is a way of taking sides. But we cannot look away. We are living through a very dark period in our history," he said. "Palestine matters, and Palestine needs justice and peace. Please, if you can, support UNRWA so we can continue delivering aid to those who need it most."
The video is the latest in a series of public statements by Guardiola about the war in Gaza. In January, he appeared wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh at a charity event in Barcelona intended to raise awareness of the humanitarian situation in the territory. The following month, he again described Israel's actions in Gaza as "genocide."
Guardiola also addressed the war in a speech last year, describing his distress at images of Palestinian children killed in Israeli strikes and the collapse of medical services.
"It hurts to see what is happening in Gaza. It hurts throughout my body," he said at the time. "Maybe when we see four-year-old children killed by a bomb, or in a hospital because it is no longer functioning as a hospital, we can think to ourselves that it is none of our business. But be careful, the next four- or five-year-old children will be ours."