Former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has urged the international community not to forget Palestinians in Gaza, calling for continued solidarity and donations to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, amid the territory’s devastating humanitarian crisis.

In a video appeal published by UNRWA Spain late Sunday, Guardiola stressed that Palestinians killed in the war were not merely statistics but people with families, aspirations and memories.

“They are not collateral damage. They are girls and boys,” he said, warning that language used to obscure human suffering risks eroding humanity.

Guardiola described the plight of children in Gaza, saying many were searching for their parents beneath the rubble, going hungry and facing life without the protection of their families.

“We see them lose everything before they have even had the chance to grow up,” he said.

Emphasising that Palestinian lives were no less valuable than those of people elsewhere, Guardiola called for sustained international support.

“Their lives matter just as much as ours,” he said. “Solidarity with Palestine cannot take a break. Neither can our responsibility.”

He also highlighted the decades of displacement and violence experienced by Palestinian refugees, praising their resilience while arguing that children should not have to endure such conditions.

“We deeply admire the resilience of the Palestinian people. But they should not have to be resilient,” Guardiola said. “No child should grow up learning how to survive before learning how to live.”

Guardiola urged the public not to remain silent about Palestinian suffering, calling for justice and peace.

“Silence today is a way of taking sides, but we cannot look the other way,” he said. “Palestine matters, and Palestine needs justice and peace.”

According to health authorities in Gaza, more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military offensive following the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The attacks in Israel killed about 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities, and led to around 250 people being taken hostage.

Gaza’s health ministry has also reported that more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed since a ceasefire took effect in October 2025.

UNRWA, established in 1949, provides healthcare, protection and humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Israel has barred the agency from operating on its territory, accusing some of its personnel of links to Hamas. UNRWA has denied the allegations.

Guardiola’s appeal calls on people to donate to the agency and maintain support for Palestinians as the humanitarian crisis continues.

The Spanish coach left his position at Manchester City at the end of last season after a decade in charge, during which the club won 17 major trophies, including six Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League. (ILKHA)