In 1. Samuel 15:2-3 we read Jehovah's order to kill "all" Amalekites. It says "you are to put them to death, man as well as woman, child as well as infant..."
In Deuteronomy 2:32-34 the Israelites say about Sihon. "We captured all his cities at that time and devoted every city to destruction, including men, women, and children. We left no survivor."
In Deuteronomy 3:3-6 we read what the Israelites did to 60 cities of Bashan: "However we devoted them to destruction, just as we had done to King Sihon of Heshbon, in devoting every city to destruction, including men, women, and children."
So the bible is clear, that Jehovah God himself ordered the genocides of the Amalekites (because of revenge, as they hindered the Israelites 400 years earlier) and the Canaanites.
JW and other christian literature justify these accounts of genocide as follows:
1. Those nations deserved it to be wiped out as they did themselves evil things like child sacrifice.
2. God has given life. So he can decide for himself to whom he will take life away without us questioning him.
3. God is just and does always what is right. Who are we to judge his actions. He had his reasons, even if we don't know them.
How does a JW who believes Jehovah is love in person and that these accounts are "infallible" inspired of god, justify these commands to kill children, even infants?
I let a few friends give me their opinion:
1. My wife who separated from me because she believes I am an apostate
My wife said that Jehovah is above everything else. If Jehovah orders something, no human is in a position to question it but has to follow it. So I asked her if she would kill someone if he orders it. To my horror she said "YES, but he isn't ordering it."
(When I hear this I keep thinking of "suicide bombers". They are killing themselves and many others just because they "believe" that God is requesting this from them).
2. A friend
He thinks that Jehovah sees the whole picture. He will ressurect the killed innocent ones (for example children). He thinks it would have been worse, if those children survived and had to live traumatized without their parents with the Israelites who were the murderers.
3. Another friend
He thinks that Jehovah's angel was with the Israelites when they did these things. This angel (he thinks probably Jesus) would have taken care, that these children didn't suffer pain when they were killed (my jaw just dropped when I heard that. Those children and babies were slaughtered by swords. How could they not suffer pain as they were cut in pieces?). He believes they will get a resurrection and go straight to paradise, which would anyway have been better than to live a canaanite life.
Do you know of other JW justifications of all these cruel OT accounts?