Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister Binyamin NetanyahuAmit Shabi/POOL/Flash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Friday evening responded to the shooting attack near the town of Dolev in the Binyamin region, vowing that Israel will find the terrorist responsible.

“The signs on the ground indicate that the shooting incident today near the community of Dolev was a terrorist attack. We are working to identify whoever carried out the attack,” Netanyahu said.

“We should not let the relative quiet deceive us,” he warned, adding, “The efforts to attack us continue constantly, just as we are operating constantly to prevent attacks with all the tools at our disposal.”

President Reuven Rivlin said the attack is “another step in the quiet and serious escalation in acts of terrorism we have witnessed in recent months.”

“We will not accept a situation in which a young hiker has his life taken from him in the land of Israel, because he is Jewish. Security forces will work tirelessly to bring to justice those responsible for this cruel and brutal act,” declared Rivlin.

“There should be heard clear and decisive condemnation of such criminal acts from both the Arab leadership, which bears responsibility for actions of terrorism emanating from its territory, as well as from the leaders of the Arab community in Israel,” he added.

"My hearts breaks to hear such awful news, and on behalf of the people of Israel, I send my condolences to the victim’s family and to wish a speedy recovery the injured.”

The man who was killed in Friday’s attack has been named as 25-year-old Danny Gonen from the city of Lod.

Gonen’s friend was wounded in the attack and is hospitalized at the Tel Hashomer Hospital in light to moderate condition.

According to investigators, the two victims were finishing a trip to a nearby spring and had begun leaving when a Palestinian Arab standing at the side of the road waved them down, apparently asking for help.

As soon as the Israelis' car pulled up he asked them for water, and then shot them at point-blank range and fled the scene.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)