“Tell that to the Amalekites.”
Yeah, it turns out that God hates it when a nation attempts to wipe out Hebrews in the most cowardly way possible - attacking the elderly and children.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+25%3A17-19&version=KJV
When it comes to kingdoms and nations, an eye for an eye is really the only thing that works.