Defense Ministry sues nightclub killer of off-duty IDF soldier

State Attorney’s Office says NIS 4 million would be used to cover compensation paid out by state to Iftach Grady’s family since 2014 murder

By ToI Staff 14 December 2017, 8:02 am

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Iftach Grady (photo credit: Iftach Grady, Facebook)

The Defense Ministry filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the convicted killer of an off-duty IDF soldier, demanding NIS 4 million ($1.1 million) in damages.

Last May, Ben Ganish was sentenced to 15 years in prison for stabbing Iftach Grady, a 19-year-old from Givatayim, to death in a Raanana nightclub in 2014.

Ganish, 23, was also ordered to pay compensation of NIS 258,000 ($71,500) after a plea deal in which he admitted to manslaughter and obstruction of justice.

The central Israel branch of the State’s Attorney’s Office, which filed Wednesday’s lawsuit on the Defense Ministry’s behalf, said in a statement the move marked the first time such a demand was being made of a killer of an IDF soldier.

The office said the funds requested in the suit will cover costs that have been footed by the Defense Ministry, which has been compensating Grady’s family following his murder.

26-year-old Ben Ganish, who was charged with stabbing to death IDF soldier Yiftah Grady in a nightclub in Raanana in 2014, arrives to the Supreme court in Jerusalem for court hearing about his appeal on July 26, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

“Nothing in the criminal punishment or lawsuit (against Ganish) could match the gravity of committing such a despicable crime,” the State Attorney’s Office said.

An indictment against Ganish was filed one month after the attack, in May 2014. Three others, Manny Dabush, Shai Calderon and Sapir Guter were also charged for their involvement in the death.

According to the indictment, the four were inside a nightclub in the central Israeli city. Calderon was hitting on Grady’s girlfriend, leading to a fight between the four and Grady and his friends. Bouncers had to break up the fight and separate them.

The indictment said Ganish then decided to kill one of the people who had fought with him. He and Dabush entered the kitchen of the nightclub and Ganish gave Dabush a two-pronged grill fork and took a butchers’ knife himself. They then waited outside the nightclub. The pair unsuccessfully tried to stab one of Grady’s friends as he left the club, but he managed to flee. Then they found Grady, pushed him against a wall and started punching him. Dabush stabbed him with the fork and Ganish stabbed him with the knife. Grady bled to death and the perpetrators fled the scene.

Dabush was found guilty of failing to prevent a crime and obstructing legal proceedings. He was sentenced to 15 months in jail, which he served between April 2014 and August 2015.