Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Prize Laureate, met with Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyah in Gaza in his capacity as the leader of a UN fact-finding mission investigating the deaths of 19 people in a 2006 Israeli artillery fire incident.

Tutu reportedly called on Haniyah to halt rocket attacks against civilians, condemning attacks against civilians on both sides, Hamas and Israel.

On Wednesday, Tutu and his delegation are expected to visit Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, where the incident occurred. He will ultimately prepare a report which will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council.

The investigation surrounds a November 8, 2006 incident in which artillery fire from southern Israel struck a home in Beit Hanoun, resulting in the deaths of 19 civilians, including women and children.

Following a comprehensive investigation, the IDF announced the unfortunate occurrence was the result of an artillery radar mishap, a rare occurrence.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)