The leadership of Kochav Hashachar, in the Binyamin region, published a statement Tuesday floowing the death of Malachi Moshe Rosenfeld hy”d, 25, who was gunned down north of Jerusalem Monday.

“The entire community embraces, with pain and warmth, the Rosenfeld family, and the families of the wounded, and is united in prayer for their recovery,” the community leaders said. “In these difficult hours, we will strengthen each other, together with one heart.”

The leadership also spoke about the possibility of unauthorized revenge attacks: “We ask resolutely to avoid revenge acts, which only weaken and deflect public attention from the justice of our struggle.”

The statement added that “the goal of the terrorists is to disrupt the routine of life and our right to exist as a nation on our homeland. They will not succeed in this. We will become stronger and settle throughout our land. We call on the government of Israel and the minister of defense to act resolutely for the security of the nation, and put an end to the stuttering and limp behavior in the face of the terrorists, and the granting of gestures whose bitter result is clear. We call on the public to come to the protest rally at the site of the attack, at 8:15 pm.”

An announcement about the hour and location of the funeral has yet to be issued, but it is expected to take place Wednesday morning in Kochav Hashachar.

Malachi Rosenfeld was the most seriously injured of the four victims, and was evacuated to hospital in critical condition by military helicopter. In the hours following the attack his father made a plea for the public to pray for his recovery.

Rosenfeld and his three friends – who were also injured in the attack – were the latest victims of what the IDF now believes to be an organized terrorist cell operating in the Binyamin region.

The cell is believed to be behind a number of previous attacks over the past several days, including the shooting of an ambulance and the murder of hiker Danny Gonen. 

All three attacks took place in the Binyamin region, north of the capital, and appeared to share the same modus operandi: one or more terrorist gunmen approaching Israeli Jews at close quarters and firing shots at point-blank range.

Earlier on Monday, just hours before the attack, a terrorist stabbed an IDF soldier in Bethlehem in Judea, south of Jerusalem. That incident is not believed to be connected, however.