Well, every choice has a consequence. For Israel the choice was accept rockets fired on Israeli towns on a regular basis(not settlements, btw, just towns within the 1948 UN recognized borders of Israel) or respond.

BTW, The response came after texting the residents, distributing leaflets and annoncening in every way possible that the place is going to be bombed.

BTW (2), For years Israel avoided bombing dense residential areas, despite knowing the origin of those rockets.