The terrorist who murdered Mrs. Dafna Meir HY”D at the entrance to her Otniel home on Sunday night worked in the community, in construction. He remains at large.

For those familiar with the community, it is under tight security as it is the last community in the S. Hebron Hills, somewhat isolated. It is surrounded by security fences, there is constant security at the gate and an IDF base a few hundred meters from the entrance. Hence many questioned how the terrorist could have possibly infiltrated the community.

It appears after work the terrorist decided to murder Jews and he found Mrs. Meir at the entrance to her home. She fought until her last breath, literally, to keep him out of their home as a child looked on in horror, watching the terrorist repeatedly stab her as she screamed for assistance. It appears the terrorist at some poinit realized her shouts and fled, leaving her bleeding to death some of her six children saw her during her last moments of her life. He escaped in a waiting vehicle that was left earlier in the day.

Mrs. Meir, 38, was the mother of six, four natural and two adopted. She worked as a nurse in Beersheva’s Soroka Medical Center, where colleagues are mourning the loss of one they describe as “a light to all around her, patients and staff alike”.

Dr. Avi Cohen of Soroka spoke with Mordechai Lavi of Kol Chai Radio an hour before the levaya, expressing the loss to the entire hospital and all who knew Mrs. Meir, who he described as one whose entire life was enveloped in acts of kindness and concern for others.

Dafna is survived by her husband Natan, and children Ra’anana (17), Akiva (15), Ahava (10), Noa (11), Yair (6), and Yaniv (4).

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)