Relatives of Valentin, a Montpellier member of the Israeli army killed by Hamas, salute his “smile” and “his sacrifice”

Valentin Ghnassia avait quitté Montpellier en 2022 pour s'installer en Israël. DR

Le jeune Montpelliérain, engagé dans l’armée israélienne, a été tué par les balles du Hamas, le 7 octobre 2023. Il allait avoir 23 ans et voulait vivre en Israël. Il a sauvé des dizaines d'habitants du kibboutz de Be'eri avant d'être tué.

The year of mourning is ending and for the family and loved ones of Valentin Elie Ghnassia, this Montpellier resident who fell under the bullets of Hamas terrorists, the pain remains unspeakable.

On the eve of his 23rd birthday, on Saturday October 7, 2023, the former student of the Montpellier law faculty lost his life saving hostages, in the kibbutz of Be’eri, four kilometers from Gaza, while he was engaged in the Israeli army.

His mother, Geneviève, "very concerned" by the international context and anxious to remain discreet in this period of commemoration of the horror, left Hérault at the beginning of the week to go to Israel, to the grave of her son, buried in the military cemetery of Mount Herzl, a hill overlooking Jerusalem.

“Valentin told us that he wanted to go save lives there and it was his wish to be buried in Israel”, she confided to us a few months ago.

“I have very fond memories of the person he was, his energy and his smile, of what he was able to do and his sacrifice”, greets Sacha, one of her close friends, a childhood friend.

“He saved a lot d'habitants"

Valentin, after law school, torn between the desire to be a lawyer or an entrepreneur, had this desire to reconnect with his roots. Attending the Olami center for young Jews in Montpellier, he discovered Taglit, the initiatory journey that allows you to discover Israel.

His conviction is strengthened: he wants to live there. In 2022, he learns Hebrew and begins his Aliyah, taking the first name Elijah so that he can enlist with the IDF.

“He said he would go all the way for Israel, even to the point of giving his life”, his friends told us after his death. His military service was due to end in November when, as a paratrooper, he was airlifted with dozens of soldiers to Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7.

His comrades reported his heroism in the face of Hamas fanatics, who were waiting for the soldiers, hidden in houses with the hostages.

“He saved many residents", recalls Sacha. “This commitment was important to him, I am glad he was able to do it."

This relative will go to the Grammont cemetery in Montpellier on Monday to pay his respects to the plaque placed in memory of his friend. And since the summer, a Safer Torah, a handwritten copy on parchment of the holy book of Judaism, has been launched for Valentin by Olami and the local community. The donations collected will also allow the creation of a center dedicated to youth in his memory.

"It's very important to honor him"

"It's very important to honor him", recalls Sacha.

In February, President Macron mentioned the Montpellier native in his speech paying tribute to the 42 French victims, during a speech at the Invalides. And in Israel, for the commemorations of October 7, these foreigners who gave their lives will logically be highlighted.

“When they arrive, these young new immigrants are supported by the State and the people, who adopt them very quickly”, decrypts Ruben O’Hayon, a former Hérault resident based in Tel Aviv.

“The Jewish people have a lot of admiration for them”

“By sacrificing themselves to save the population terrorist attacks, they are considered heroes and are cherished with great love, gratitude and great sorrow when they fall in combat. The Jewish people have great admiration for them."

As early as November 2023, a bill in the Knesset allowing every foreign soldier who fell in Israel for the homeland to posthumously obtain honorary citizenship was unanimously adopted. This law paid tribute to Elie Valentin Ghnassia.

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