The civilians were NOT the target
While the mission was indeed ill conceived it is important to make clear the intended target was a mass murderer of many innocent civilians. The suicide murderers who blow themselves up at ice cream parlors are deliberately targeting non-combatant civilians. There is a difference. No matter how awful the loss of innocent life was in this air strike, and indeed it was horrible, it was still morally less repugnant than the daily murderous attacks on civilians Israelis have endured for YEARS.