Vyacheslav (Daniel) Golev, the security guard who was killed in Friday's terrorist shooting outside the West Bank settlement of Ariel, was laid to rest on Sunday in his hometown Beit Shemesh.
"You had such a big and kind heart, we will tell your story to the children and grandchildren so you can be a role model for them," his cousin Vladimir eulogized.
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Vyacheslav (Daniel) Golev's father Ze'ev Vladimir recites Kaddish over his son's fresh grave in the Beit Shemesh Cemetery
(Photo: Haim Goldich)
Golev's relatives struggled to bid their beloved son one last goodbye, and harrowing cries of grief filled the air as his body was lowered to the ground. Father Ze'ev Vladimir recited a Kaddish over his deceased son and mother Nadezhda sobbed over the fresh grave.
Some 300 people, including Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov and MK Keti Shitrit, came to accompany the 23-year-old on his final journey.
Beit Shemesh Mayor Dr. Aliza Bloch also gave a graveside oration in memoriam of Golev.
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Golev's mother Nadezhda sobs over her son's fresh grave in the Beit Shemesh Cemetery
(Photo: Haim Goldich)
"Our dear Vladi-Daniel, you are a hero. That is how we will all remember you. Vladi-Daniel, you stood at the entrance to Ariel and defended it like a rampart in the face of bullets wicked, murderous terrorists. You stood firm like a bulwark until you collapsed under barbarous fire," she said.
"Vladi-Daniel thought of the good of others before thinking of his own. His selflessness, gallantry, inner strength deserve every word of heroism. We will continue here in the city to commemorate the story of Vladi-Daniel. We will commemorate his heroism, we will do everything so that it will not be forgotten."
Golev enlisted in the IDF in August 2017 and served in the Defenders of the Negev company of the Israel Air Force — a unit for ultra-Orthodox soldiers interested in serving in combat roles. He was discharged in 2020 after completing his military service.
Golev is survived by his parents and seven siblings.
Yevgeny Fligelman — father of Golev's fiancée Victoria, whom he shielded with his body from the terrorists' bullets — arrived at the security guard's home to console the bereaved family.
"Vyacheslav is an angel, he saved my daughter," he said. "They were together and planned to get married next year. He proposed to her two weeks ago. He already regarded her as his wife. Victoria is still in trauma from what had happened, and she is in a difficult mental state."
IDF troops and counterterrorism officers arrested two Palestinians on Saturday suspected to have carried out the deadly shooting at the end of a 20-hour manhunt and took them in for further questioning by the Shin Bet security agency.
The suspects were arrested in the Palestinian town of Qarawat Bani Hassan near Ariel. The two did not put up any resistance and both their weapons were also seized in the raid.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects, identified as 19-year-old Yahyah Maree and 20-year-old Yousef A'ssi, were not sent by any terrorist groups, but one of them had ties to Hamas.
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Yahyah Maree, center, and Yousef A'ssi with the weapons seized by security forces
(Photo: Israel Police)
Both men are barred from entering Israel, and one of them has previously served time in an Israeli prison. They were arrested at their homes, along with several relatives suspected of aiding them in carrying out the attack.
They arrived at the entrance to the settlement in a blue Suzuki with Israeli license plates, which apparently belonged in the past to a car that was taken off the road. The terrorists' vehicle was later found after being set on fire and abandoned.
The two pulled up at the settlement's gate armed with Carl Gustav submachine guns and opened fire at the guard shack. They then got out of the vehicle and shot Golev from point-blank.
Golev shielded Fligelman with his body and took three of at least ten bullets fired, killing him on the spot.
One of the gunmen then ran back to the car, made a U-turn and picked up the other assailant, who was waiting for him on the other side of the road.