Halakhah do Samuela I 15:6

Were war to be sanctioned solely on the basis of the law of pursuit, military action would perforce be restricted to situations in which loss of life is inflicted only upon armed aggressors or upon active participants in the war effort; military action resulting in casualties among the civilian populace would constitute homicide, pure and simple. However, not only does one search in vain for a ruling prohibiting military activity likely to result in the death of civilians,³⁸Amud ha-Yemini, no. 16, chap. 5, sec. 1. but, to this writer's knowledge, there exists no discussion in classical rabbinic sources that takes cognizance of the likelihood of causing civilian casualties in the course of hostilities legitimately undertaken as posing a halakhic or moral problem.³⁹For a contemporary discussion of this issue see Amud ha-Yemini, no. 16, chaps. 3-5. It may be noted that Scripture records that, prior to engaging in battle against Amalek, Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, go down from among the Amalekites” (I Samuel 15:6). The clear implication is that, had the Kenites not heeded this admonition, Saul might have slain them with impunity in the course of the battle against Amalek.