NEVER is there is any concern for the well-being of the nation with whom we are at war. Hashem is a Merciful G-d but mercy [like all middos] has its time and place. We call out for peace [please listen to our hundreds of shiurim on Hilchos Melachim Umilchamoseihem including a number on the call for peace] but if our gesture is not met with acceptance then we go to war.
We DO have the story of Shaul who was compassionate in his war against Amalek and he was duly censured and was dethroned. According to Chazal, a בת קול emerged and declared אל תהי צדיק הרבה. Don't be more compassionate than Hashem. כל המרחם על אכזרים סופו להתאכזר על רחמנים.
The Torah's directive at war is אֶרְדּוֹף אוֹיְבַי וְאַשִּׂיגֵם וְלֹא אָשׁוּב עַד כַּלּוֹתָם. Not pretty but necessary.
There is no person on earth with a true Jewish heart who wants to see innocent people suffer and certainly not to be the cause of such suffering.
But we are NOT living in an ideal world. It is a severely broken world. It is filled with bloodthirsty barbarians who want nothing more than to wipe every Jew off the face of the planet and will not rest until this is accomplished [which of course it never will בעז"ה].
So Israel has two choices:
1] To continue fighting until its objectives are achieved.
2] Put down their weapons and have mercy on their suffering enemies.
If they choose number 2] then it will cause the death and torture of who knows how many innocent Jews.
The Arabs are promising many more pogroms. They are notorious liars but ניכרים דברי אמת. Believe them on this.
All this talk about the cruelty of the Israeli army doesn't properly appreciate that it is us or them.
As has been pointed out many times: If the Arabs put their weapons down and truly ask for peace [and of course return the hostages] there is peace in the Middle East in ONE MINUTE. If the Israelis put down their weapons - it would result in a one-day Holocaust with 8 million or so victims רח"ל [barring Divine intervention].
The ONLY solution to this problem is Moshiach.
Something to think about during the nine days.
