Pep Guardiola's powerful speech on Gaza during doctorate acceptance speech: 'It is so painful, hurts all my body'
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was conferred with an honorary degree by the University of Manchester. He was given this honour because of his contribution to the city both on and off the pitch. The ceremony was held at the historic Whitworth Hall. The university's chancellor, Nazir Afzal, presented him with the honorary doctorate.
During his acceptance speech, Guardiola stood up for Gaza amidst the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. While standing for Gaza and its people, the Manchester City manager said it pains him to see what has been unfolding in the region for the past year or so.
"It's so painful what we see in Gaza. It hurts my whole body. And let me be clear, it's not about ideology. It's not about whether I'm right, or you're wrong. Come on. It's just about the love of life, about the care of your neighbour. Maybe we think that we see the boys and girls of four years old being killed by the bomb or being killed at the hospital because it's not a hospital anymore. It's not our business."
"We can think about that. It's not our business. But be careful. The next one will be ours. The next four or five years old kids will be ours. Sorry, but I see my kids when I wake up every morning since the nightmare started with the infants in Gaza. And I'm so scared. Maybe this image feels far away from where we are living now. And you might ask what we can do," he added.
The entire matter between Israel and Hamas reached a boiling point when the latter attacked Israel in October 2023, killing about 1200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to the BBC.
This resulted in Israel going on the offensive in Gaza. In January 2025, Israel and Hamas agreed on a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
Guardiola also spoke on the importance of standing up for what's right and not taking the backseat, thinking about what might happen if one speaks up.
"There is a story I'm reminded of. A forest is on fire. All the animals live, terrified, helpless, helpless. But the small bird flies back and forth, back and forth to the sea, back and forth, carrying drops of water in this little beak. The snake laughs and asks, why, bro? You will never put the fire out. The bird replies, yes, I know it. Then, why do you do it again and again? The snake asks once again. I'm just doing my part. The bird replies for the last time," said Guardiola.
"That is, the bird knows it doesn't stop the fire, but it refuses to do nothing. In a world that often tells us we are too small to make a difference, that story reminds me the power of one is not about the scale. It's about choice. About showing up, about refusing to be silent, or still when it matters most," he added.
In March 2025, Israel launched a surprise attack on the Gaza Strip, which basically ended the 2025 war ceasefire. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 400 Palestinians were killed.
A day after, the Israeli Military announced that it conducted a ground offensive to retake the Netzarim Corridor, from which it had withdrawn in February.
On June 9, US President Donald Trump said that Iran is involved in the ongoing negotiations, which aim at arranging a ceasefire for the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.
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