GAZA, (PIC)-- The Nobel peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu has called in Gaza for an end to targeting civilians in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, hoping that both parties would accept calm.

Tutu, who addressed a press conference in Gaza along with premier of the PA caretaker government Ismail Haneyya, said that he was keen on meeting the Palestinian government in Gaza to get acquainted with the conditions in the Strip and to relay his findings to the world.

The Archbishop said that he was assigned by the UN on a fact-finding mission in Beit Hanun.

He said that Israel had blocked entry of his delegation into Gaza to probe the Israeli artillery attack that killed 19 Palestinian civilians mostly women and children in 2006.

Israel had acknowledged responsibility for the attack but absolved its soldiers of any responsibility saying it was a "radar mistake".

The UN Human Rights Council had decided to send a team to Gaza to investigate the killings in 2006, but Israel refused to grant visas.

For his part, Haneyya welcomed the UN team, who entered Gaza through Rafah crossing from Egypt, and thanked the international organization for insisting on investigating the Beit Hanun massacre.

The premier said that he instructed all concerned ministers to fully cooperate with the fact-finding committee.