Mahmoud Musa Issa

Mahmoud Musa Issa is a commander in Hamas who was responsible for the abduction and murder of Israeli Border Police officer Nissim Toledano in 1992. He was born on May 21, 1968, in Anata, east of Jerusalem. He studied Sharia and Islamic studies at Al-Quds University and joined Hamas shortly after its establishment in 1987. Before his arrest, he managed the Jerusalem office of the newspaper Sawt al-Haq wa al-Hurriya. Issa was one of the commanders of “Cell 101,” an Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades cell established to abduct Israeli soldiers for use in negotiations. The cell was responsible for the abduction and murder of Border Police officer Nissim Toledano in December 1992. He was captured by Israeli security forces in June 1993 and sentenced to three life terms and an additional 46 years in prison. In 1996, he attempted to escape from Ashkelon Prison and was subsequently held in solitary confinement for 13 years. During his imprisonment, he wrote several books and studies on politics, religion, and the armed struggle against Israel. He was released on October 13, 2025, after 32 years in prison, as part of the agreement for the release of the living hostages held in the Gaza Strip. Under the terms of the agreement, he was permanently deported from Judea and Samaria.