Eyal Giler, a defendant in the 2025 Jerusalem garbage bin fire case, has sent Sara Netanyahu a pre-suit warning demanding an apology and NIS 100,000 over remarks in which she said those responsible for the fires intended to kill her family.
The fires were set on September 3, 2025, during a protest calling for the release of the hostages. Prosecutors allege that Giler and three other defendants planned fires at six locations near the prime minister’s private residence in Jerusalem’s Rehavia neighborhood. Ultimately, they set five garbage bins alight.
'The intention was, really, to kill'
In an August 31 interview with Channel 14, Netanyahu described the incident as “a circle of fire around our house.”
“So everyone would perhaps choke and die,” she said. “The intention was, really, to kill.”
The letter, dated Tuesday, threatens a defamation suit of at least NIS 1 million if its demands are rejected. It is not a lawsuit, and no court has ruled that Netanyahu’s comments were defamatory.
Netanyahu did not name Giler in the quoted passage. His lawyers, Tali Ben-Simon and Yadin Dan Giladi, argue that viewers would have understood her remarks as referring to him because his name and photograph had previously been published in connection with the criminal case.
Letter demands that Sara Netanyahu withdraw the remarks
The letter demands that Netanyahu withdraw the remarks, publish an apology, and pay Giler NIS 100,000. His lawyers said they would seek at least NIS 1 million if she does not comply.
The indictment provides support for part of Netanyahu’s description, but not for her assertion about an intent to kill.
Prosecutors allege that Giler and three other defendants helped plan coordinated fires at six locations near the prime minister’s home during a September 3, 2025 protest calling for the release of the hostages. According to the indictment, the locations were selected to create what prosecutors themselves called a “ring of fire.”
Prosecutors say that the fires damaged vegetation and other property, nearly destroyed a vehicle, and endangered residents of a nearby building, who were evacuated.
Giler is specifically accused of pouring flammable liquid into a recycling bin, adding fuel-soaked material, and igniting it. The resulting fire allegedly damaged a stone wall and a canopy.
These allegations have not been proven, however. Giler and the other defendants are presumed innocent while the criminal proceedings remain pending.
The indictment charges the defendants with offenses including arson, malicious damage to property, damage to a vehicle, and obstruction of justice. It does not charge Giler with attempted murder or allege that he planned to kill Netanyahu or members of her family.
However, the warning letter’s suggestion that prosecutors attributed no intention to cause harm is too broad. The indictment alleges that the defendants intended to damage public property and vegetation or endanger nearby residents, or acted while recognizing such an outcome as nearly certain.
The letter is the third publicly reported pre-suit warning arising from Netanyahu’s Channel 14 interview. Democrats chairman Yair Golan and Amir