The fact that they are putting themselves in the theater alongside those who would demand they allow weapons to be stored at their location absolutely makes them a valid target.
They volunteered to be there, they are absolutely responsible for the consequences. There is no logical way to whitewash that reality. They aren’t being held hostage, they are aiding a specific side and they have a specific agenda (MSF/DWB).
DWB are part of the enemy infrastructure. Not combatants, but REMFs.
Only about 10% of our military is actual combat troops at any given time. It takes lots of infrastructure to support combat operations.