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.

According to the BBC, the whole relationship between Israel and Hamas reached a breaking point when the latter assaulted Israel in October 2023, murdering around 1200 individuals and kidnapping over 250 others.

As a result, Israel launched an offensive in Gaza. Israel and Hamas reached an agreement in January 2025 regarding a ceasefire and the release of Palestinian detainees and Israeli hostages.

"Power is about choice"

The necessity of speaking out for what is right and not sitting back, wondering what might occur if one does, was also discussed by Guardiola.

I'm reminded of a tale. There is a fire in the woods. The animals are all terrified, powerless, and vulnerable. However, this tiny beak is used by the little bird to transport water droplets back and forth, back and forth, back and forth to the sea. "Why, bro?" the snake chuckles. You will never be able to extinguish the fire. Yes, I am aware of it, the bird answers. The serpent then asks, "So, why do you keep doing it?" I'm only contributing what I can. "The bird answers for the last time," stated Guardiola.

"In other words, the bird knows that it does not put out the fire, but it chooses not to take any action. That tale reminds me that the power of one is not about the size in a world where we are frequently told we are too little to make a difference. It's all about making a choice. He said that it was about showing up, not speaking out, or remaining silent when it counts.

Israel all but ended the ceasefire in the 2025 war by launching a surprise attack on the Gaza Strip in March 2025. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that over 400 Palestinians were killed.

The Israeli army announced the day following that it had launched a ground assault to reclaim the Netzarim Corridor, which it had abandoned in Februar

The ongoing negotiations, which seek to establish a ceasefire for the hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas, include Iran, according to US President Donald Trump, who spoke on June 9.

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