A UN protectorate in Gaza would not solve the conflict there, the body’s secretary general said, calling instead for a “transition period” involving Arab nations and the United States and leading to a two-state solution, AFP reports.

Antonio Guterres said it was “important to be able to transform this tragedy into an opportunity” — which, for him, meant moving “in a determined and irreversible way to a two-state solution.”

This means, after the current fighting between Israel and Hamas fighters in Gaza ends, “a strengthened Palestinian Authority, assuming responsibilities in Gaza,” he said.

But the Palestinian Authority cannot go into Gaza backed by Israeli tanks, he added — meaning the “international community needs to look into a transition period”.

“I do not think that a UN protectorate in Gaza is a solution,” however, Guterres said.