I’m not signing Australian lawyers’ open letter concerning Gaza

1012 Australian barristers, lawyers and legal academics have so far signed a nine-page letter - including 89 footnotes (Australian Letter) - requesting Australia use its influence to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the West Bank - which I won't be signing.

The Australian Letter dated 3 November 2023 acknowledges it is based on a similar letter signed by English lawyers dated 26 October 2023 (English Letter).

Both letters fail to disclose material facts - whilst the Australian Letter also deliberately omits material facts contained in the English letter:

1. Both letters state:

In the morning hours of 7 October 2023, Hamas fired a barrage of thousands of rockets from Gaza into Israeli territory, before breaching the security barrier surrounding Gaza in multiple locations.

Neither letter states that the firing of each of these thousands of rockets indiscriminately into Israeli population centers constituted a war crime.

Why?

2. Both letters state:

1,400 Israelis and other nationals were killed on and after 7 October 2023, according to figures provided by the Israeli Ministry of Health, most of them civilians⁴ including multiple members of the same family, women and at least 31 children.There are reports of mutilation

No footnote provided for "reports of mutilation" seems to be intentional – given this Guardian Report dated 24 October was readily available:

Israeli authorities have shown harrowing footage of killings and mutilations during Hamas's rampage in southern Israel on 7 October.

The government showed the 43-minute compilation in a private screening for dozens of foreign journalists at a military base in Tel Aviv on Monday to counter what it said were attempts to deny or downplay the extent of the atrocities.

The footage, captured by security cameras, body cameras worn by the Hamas attackers, vehicle dashboard cameras, social media accounts and videos from mobile phones, left some reporters in tears. The material included the killing of children and decapitation of some victims.