Spain has signalled support for French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal of an international coalition under a United Nations mandate to stabilise Gaza, calling it “one of the tools” that could bring peace to the region, Reuters reports.

“The proposal … is one of the tools that can help achieve peace and security in Gaza and the Middle East, as is the work of UNRWA as the UN agency for aid to the Palestinian people,” the Spanish ministry said in an emailed reply to questions from Reuters.

“This force must be a step towards building the two-state solution,” it added, referring to the idea of bringing peace through the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel in territory Israel captured in a 1967 war.