A 38-year-old mother of six was murdered in a terrorist stabbing attack at her home in the community of Otniel in the South Hebron Hills on Sunday. A Palestinian terrorist attacked Dafna Meir at the entrance to her house, where she struggled with him until he overpowered her in the kitchen. Meir's 17-year-old daughter, who heard her screams, ran to her aid, only to see the terrorist stab her mother again and again. The terrorist fled the scene, and Israeli security forces were still hunting him on Monday morning. Special forces assisted by designated aircraft combed the nearby Palestinian villages in pursuit of the attacker. Five suspects believed to be connected to the incident have been arrested. Police investigators believe that the terrorist, who worked at a construction site in Otniel, left the community after the attack. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot toured the scene on Monday and was briefed on the investigation. Initial findings suggest that the construction workers admitted into the community may have not been properly documented, as the law obligates. The attack occurred at 5:30 p.m. while Meir was painting the front door of her house. Three of her six children were inside the house, playing in the basement. The terrorist pounced on her and began stabbing her repeatedly in the head. She screamed and tried to fight him off. During the struggle, the terrorist chased Meir into the kitchen. She continued trying to fight him off until her strength gave out. Renana, the eldest child, heard the screams and ran upstairs to see what was happening. To her horror, she saw the terrorist stabbing her mother. She later recounted that the terrorist had tried to pull the knife out of her mother, who was already dead, to continue stabbing the rest of the family. However, her screams prompted him to flee. Renana called for help and large police and military forces arrived to search for the attacker. Fearing that he was still inside the community, residents were instructed to remain indoors for several hours. An emergency medical team dispatched to the home tried to resuscitate Dafna Meir, but she could not be revived. Haim Rubin, a resident of Otniel and a paramedic, said, "It was a difficult sight. We made sure the children were kept away, in another room. My personal feelings were very strong, especially since I know the family." Only two days before the attack, Meir poured her heart out in the community's weekly newsletter, writing that she was very concerned about the security threats facing the community. "Lately I have been thinking a lot about the security situation, having thoughts about what I should and shouldn't do, about the fears, about my husband and the children. The situation isn't easy, and sometimes it feels like a game of Russian roulette," she wrote. Meir had lived in Otniel for 19 years. The town is where she met her husband, Nathan, who was studying at yeshiva there. "They came here for a year and ended up staying in the same house for nearly 19 years," said her niece, Moriah. A nurse in the neurosurgical department at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, Dafna Meir had four biological children and was a foster mother to two brothers, aged 4 and 6. "She grew up in foster care and was moved around from institution to institution. Her dream was to take in children who have nothing and to give them a good life. She was the best mother in the world. An honest, genuine woman," Moriah said of her aunt. Meir's colleagues at the hospital were devastated by the news of her death. "Dafna was a beloved nurse. She was professional and well liked by her colleagues and her patients. Helping others was her passion both in her work and in her personal life," said one colleague. Meir was laid to rest in Jerusalem on Monday. Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon vowed on Sunday that the killer would be apprehended. "We will not rest until we settle the score with the terrorist, wherever he may be," the minister said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed his defense minister, promising the residents of Otniel on Sunday that the terrorist would pay for his crimes. "Whoever tries to harm us, we will bring him to justice," Netanyahu said. "In the end he will be found and he will pay the full price." President Reuven Rivlin remarked that the "shock is terrible. I am convinced that the authorities are doing everything possible to restore the citizens' sense of security." Shortly after the attack, Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) criticized the coalition, saying, "The lack of security is a result of the radical right-wing government that obstinately refuses to separate from the Arabs." The ruling Likud party responded angrily to Herzog's accusation, issuing a statement saying that "while Prime Minister Netanyahu is busy leading an unrelenting war on terrorism, and while security forces are busy waging a large-scale pursuit after the terrorist, Herzog is busy with petty politics and pathetic campaigns."
