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Abduction and killing of Nissim Toledano

SOLVED1992Lod, Israel (abduction site)3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
File:Nissim Toledano.jpg
File:Nissim Toledano.jpg — Credit: Israel Police · CC BY-SA 3.0

The killing of Nissim Toledano unfolded during the First Intifada. In 1987, Hamas carried out its first attack against Israel, abducting and killing two Israeli soldiers. In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) arrested the movement's founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who was later sentenced to life in prison. After Yassin's imprisonment, Hamas sought to capture an Israeli soldier to use as leverage in a prisoner exchange for his release.

At approximately 4:30 a.m. on 13 December 1992, a Hamas squad abducted 29-year-old Israeli Border Police Senior Sergeant Nissim Toledano in Lod as he walked from his home to his administrative job. That same day, Hamas issued an ultimatum demanding Yassin's release by 9:00 p.m. in exchange for Toledano, threatening to kill him if the demand went unmet. Israel declined to negotiate without proof that Toledano was alive and unharmed. On 15 December 1992, his body was found near the settlement of Kfar Adumim in the West Bank; he was bound and had been stabbed. A pathological examination concluded that he had been killed two to six hours after the ultimatum expired, and that the strangulation and stabbing had occurred at a location different from where the body was found.

In response, Israel launched a large manhunt across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, detaining roughly 1,200 people, most of them affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad. On 17 December 1992, the government expelled 415 Hamas and Islamic Jihad figures to Marj al-Zohour in southern Lebanon, initially for a period of two years. Lebanese authorities blocked their entry, leaving the deportees in a buffer zone between Israeli and Lebanese checkpoints, where they established a tent camp that drew extensive international media coverage. In February 1993, Israel shortened the expulsion to one year, and most of those deported later returned.

A few months after the killing, the IDF arrested four men in connection with the abduction and murder: Mahmoud Issa, Majid Abu Qatish, Mahmoud Atwan, and Musa al-Akari. All were tried, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment, with al-Akari receiving three consecutive life sentences. Mahmoud Issa was held in solitary confinement for a decade between 2002 and 2012. Al-Akari was released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange and, by 2024, was reported to be a senior Hamas official in Turkey who was sanctioned by the United States. Issa was released in October 2025 as part of a prisoner exchange during the Gaza war.

Key facts

Victims
Nissim Toledano
Date
1992
Location
Lod, Israel (abduction site)
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1987

    During the First Intifada, Hamas carried out its first attack on Israel, abducting and killing two Israeli soldiers; the IDF then arrested Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who was sentenced to life in prison.

  2. 1992-12-13

    Hamas militants abducted Israeli Border Police Senior Sergeant Nissim Toledano in Lod and issued an ultimatum demanding Yassin's release by 9:00 p.m.

  3. 1992-12-15

    Toledano's body was found near the settlement of Kfar Adumim in the West Bank, bound and stabbed.

  4. 1992-12-17

    Israel expelled 415 Hamas and Islamic Jihad figures to Marj al-Zohour in southern Lebanon.

  5. 1993-02

    Israel shortened the expulsion period from two years to one year; most deportees later returned to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

  6. 2002

    Convicted perpetrator Mahmoud Issa began a ten-year period in solitary confinement that lasted until 2012.

  7. 2011

    Convicted perpetrator Musa al-Akari was released in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange.

  8. 2024

    Musa al-Akari, reported to be a senior Hamas official based in Turkey, was sanctioned by the United States.

  9. 2025-10

    Convicted perpetrator Mahmoud Issa was released in a prisoner exchange during the Gaza war.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Musa al-Akari

    CONVICTED

    Convicted and given three consecutive life sentences for the murder; released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange; reported to be a senior Hamas official in Turkey and sanctioned by the United States by 2024.

  • Mahmoud Issa

    CONVICTED

    Tried, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment for the abduction and murder; held in solitary confinement between 2002 and 2012; released in October 2025 in a prisoner exchange during the Gaza war.

  • Mahmoud Atwan

    CONVICTED

    Tried, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment for the abduction and murder.

  • Majid Abu Qatish

    CONVICTED

    Tried, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment for the abduction and murder.

  • Nissim Toledano

    VICTIM

    Israeli Border Police Senior Sergeant, aged 29, abducted in Lod on 13 December 1992 and killed; his body was found on 15 December 1992 near Kfar Adumim in the West Bank.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • File:Nissim Toledano.jpg

    portrait victim

    File:Nissim Toledano.jpg

    Credit: Israel Police · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

Places

Lod, Israel (abduction site)

31.9514, 34.8956

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Common questions

What happened to Nissim?
Israeli Border Police officer Nissim Toledano was abducted and killed by Hamas militants in December 1992, and four men were later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime.
Where did the killing happen?
Lod, Israel (abduction site).
Who was convicted?
Musa al-Akari (Convicted and given three consecutive life sentences for the murder; released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange; reported to be a senior Hamas official in Turkey and sanctioned by the United States by 2024.), Mahmoud Issa (Tried, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment for the abduction and murder; held in solitary confinement between 2002 and 2012; released in October 2025 in a prisoner exchange during the Gaza war.), Mahmoud Atwan (Tried, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment for the abduction and murder.), and Majid Abu Qatish (Tried, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment for the abduction and murder.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.
More cases in Israel

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICAbduction and killing of Nissim ToledanoWikipedia · 2026-07-05
  2. PRESS400 Arabs Ousted by Israel Are Mired in Frozen LimboThe New York Times · 2026-07-05
  3. PRESSContemporaneous news coverage (Los Angeles Times archive)Los Angeles Times · 2026-07-05

Record history

First published
JUL 06, 2026
Last verified against sources
JUL 06, 2026