| Kidnapping and murder of Nissim Toledano | |
|---|---|
| Location | Israel |
| Date | December 13, 1992 |
| Attack type | Kidnapping and murder |
| Deaths | 1 Israeli soldier (Nissim Toledano) |
| Perpetrator | Hamas |
On 13 December 1992, Israeli border policeman Senior Sergeant Nissim Toledano was kidnapped in Lod by a squad of Hamas militants. Altough the militants demanded the release of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin for Toledano, he was murdered by his captives.
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In 1987, during the First Intifada, Hamas carried out its first attack against Israel in which two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped and killed. The Israel Defense Forces immediately arrested the founder of Hamas Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and sentenced him to life in prison for masterminding terrorist attacks[1]. As a result Hamas began planning a kidnapping of an Israeli soldier in order to release Yasin in a swap.
In circa 4:30 am of 13 December 1992 a squad of Hamas militants kidnapped 29-year-old Israeli border policeman Senior Sergeant Nissim Toledano in Lod as he walked from his home to attend his administrative job.[2][1]
During the same day Hamas demanded that Sheikh Ahmed Yassin would be released the same day until 21:00 pm in exchange for Toledano. Toledano's captives threatened to kill him unless Yasin would be freed.[3] Israel refused to negotiate until it received evidence that Toledano was alive and well.[3]
Two days later, on 15 December 1992, Toledano's body was discovered near the communal Israeli settlement in the West Bank Kfar Adumim.[3] Toledano's body was found bound and stabbed. Pathological findings indicated that he was murdered two to six hours after the ultimatum expired. In addition, the findings indicated that the strangulation and stab wounds were not carried out at the site in which the body was discovered.[4]
A few months after the event Israel managed to catch Toledano's kidnappers and killers whom were tried and sentenced to life imprisonment.
In addition, Israel arrested during a huge manhunt operation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank about 1,200[3] Palestinian fundamentalists (mostly Hamas and Islamic Jihad members, including 22 members of the Izz al-Din al Qassam Brigades). In order to deepen the damage to Hamas' infrastructure and to its members, Israel decided, in an unprecedented step, to expel 415 Hamas members to Lebanon for a period of two years.
On 17 December 1992, Israel expelled 415 leading figures of Hamas and Islamic Jihad to Marj al-Zohour in southern Lebanon, beyond the Israeli Security Zone.[5][6] Amongst the more prominent deportees were Mahmoud al-Zahar, Abd al-Aziz Rantisi, Ismail Haniyeh, Said Siam Izz El-Deen Sheikh Khalil, Abbedallah Qawasameh, Aziz Duwaik and Nayef Rajoub.
The planned deportation gained a wide media coverage which led the Lebanese authorities to prepare in advance to the event, as they prevented the deportees from entering the country, thereby forcing the deportees to stay in a desolate buffer strip that lies between the nearest Lebanese and Israeli army checkpoints. As a result the deportees set up a tent camp from which they got a wide international media attention and coverage.
Due to U.S. pressure, eventually in February 1993 Israel decided to shorten the deportees' period of expulsion to one year only.
Most of the deportees returned to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip after the period of expulsion ended.