The murderous attack in Otniel occurred when two terrorists dressed as IDF soldiers, armed with M-16 assault rifles and eight magazines, opened fire in the yeshiva's kitchen, adjacent to the dining hall in which over 70 students were eating. St.-Sgt. Noam Apter, who was back in the yeshiva after several months in the army as a section commander, heroically saved many lives in his last seconds of life by closing and locking the door between the kitchen and the dining hall, thus preventing the terrorists from spraying the dining hall with their automatic weapons' gunfire. His three friends were already dead when he did this, according to those who were there. Several soldiers who arrived on the scene were wounded, but they killed one terrorist on the spot, and the second one after a chase.



The Islamic Jihad terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for the murderous attack.