ASHGABAT, 31 May 2016 – Some 25 law-enforcement and military officials, at an OSCE-organized training course that concluded in Ashgabat today, discussed practices of responding to terrorism threats to large public events.

The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized the eight-day training course to assist the host government in strengthening the capacities of relevant officials in countering terrorism threats while ensuring the security during large public events. Representatives from the Ministries of Defence and National Security, Interior Ministry, as well as the State Border Service, State Migration Service and the General Prosecutor’s Office discussed ensuring the security of public events, including facility security, resistance, emergency power, medical emergency and fire precaution.

International experts from Turkey introduced participants to the philosophy and models of crisis/hostage negotiations, practices of responding to hostage incidents and applying optimal negotiation tools.   

The course also addressed the relevant legislative acts, such as the Laws of Turkmenistan on Emergency Rule and on Organizing and Holding Meetings, Rallies, Demonstrations and other Mass Events.

“As Turkmenistan recently passed a number of laws addressing the organization of public events, rallies and demonstrations, the Centre designed this training course to facilitate the exchange of best practices in ensuring the security during mass gatherings and events in line with international standards and national legislation,” said Richard Wheeler, Political Officer of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

“The training course has an added value as it familiarized the relevant officials with effective techniques and instruments they will need to successfully accomplish their important task of ensuring the security and maintaining public order during the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games and other large-scale events which will be held in Turkmenistan.”

During the course, participants also discussed contemporary crowd management techniques and took part in simulation exercises. 

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No known believers from a Muslim background existed in Turkey when the first two OMers arrived in 1961. Now, nearly half of the 7,000 believers there can trace their journey through the Bible Correspondence Course.

Internet classes can fit workers' schedules By Kenneth Kesner Lauren Foust's bosses were frank: She'd need a degree to really rise in the ranks. But she works full time, so adding college to her day was nearly impossible. Then she...

The podcast industry as a whole is expected to produce more than $1 billion by 2021, according to a new report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).

With that much money floating around, you have to wonder what is stopping you from getting your share.

Since many people are still stuck at home, craving connection and entertainment, there is really never been a better time for podcasting. And, contrary to what you might think, getting your own podcast off the ground is not just possible, it’s quite easy thanks to resources like

An ex-footballer says the players' union will continue supporting retiring players into new careers.

The group also rammed a farmer's vehicle in a "terrifying" incident in Wiltshire, police said.

In this paper we discuss the use of automated assessment in a variety of computer science courses that have been taught at Israel Academic College by the authors. The course assignments were assessed entirely automatically using Checkpoint, a web-based automated assessment framework. The assignments all used free-text questions (where the students type in their own answers). Students were allowed to correct errors based on feedback provided by the system and resubmit their answers. A total of 141 students were surveyed to assess their opinions of this approach, and we analysed their responses. Analysis of the questionnaire showed a low correlation between questions, indicating the statistical independence of the individual questions. As a whole, student feedback on using Checkpoint was very positive, emphasizing the benefits of multiple attempts, impartial marking, and a quick turnaround time for submissions. Many students said that Checkpoint gave them confidence in learning and motivation to practise. Students also said that the detailed feedback that Checkpoint generated when their programs failed helped them understand their mistakes and how to correct them.

Aim/Purpose: The study examined how the developed mobile courseware can be used as instructional material to improve senior high school statistics and probability learning, particularly during distance learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also aims to assess the gamified mobile courseware’s engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information quality using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) and a researcher-made Gamified Mobile Courseware Assessment Tool (GMCET). Background: The need to investigate the effectiveness of incorporating game-based elements into mathematics courses through innovative instructional materials inspired the study. The COVID-19 pandemic has made distance learning a necessity, and gamified mobile courseware is a potential solution to improve learning outcomes and engagement in mathematics courses. Methodology: The study employed a descriptive-evaluative method with quantitative and qualitative data to achieve its objectives. Five IT practitioners assessed the developed courseware using the MARS regarding engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information. A researcher-made GMCET was also used to evaluate the app’s content quality, learning objectives, content presentation, learning assessment, and usability. Five math experts and 12 math teachers rated the app using the GMCET. The study used weighted mean to analyze the quantitative data and content analysis for the qualitative data. Contribution: The study provides insights into the strengths and weaknesses of gamified mobile courseware from the perspective of IT practitioners, math experts, and math teachers. The study’s findings can inform improvements in future iterations of courseware, and the study provides a valuable guide for practitioners looking to develop gamified mobile courseware for mathematics courses. Findings: The quantitative results based on the weighted mean indicate that the IT practitioners had a moderately positive perception of the developed courseware across all categories. At the same time, the math teachers and math experts showed highly positive perceptions of the gamified mobile courseware in Statistics and Probability, rating it highly across all categories. The qualitative data analysis through content analysis highlights the need for improving the user interface, usability, user experience design, user control, flexibility in interaction, data quality, reliability, and user privacy of the developed app. Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners can use the study’s findings to improve the design of gamified mobile courseware for mathematics courses and other content areas. The study recommends that practitioners focus on improving the user interface, usability, user experience design, user control, flexibility in interaction, data quality, reliability, and user privacy of gamified mobile courseware. Recommendation for Researchers: Future research can build on this study’s findings by exploring the use of gamified mobile courseware in other mathematical courses and other subject areas. Further research can also examine how gamified mobile courseware can improve learning outcomes for students with different learning needs. Impact on Society: The study’s findings could improve the effectiveness of gamified mobile courseware in enhancing student learning outcomes in mathematics courses. This can lead to better student performance, improved engagement, and increased interest in mathematics courses, positively impacting society. Future Research: Future research can explore using gamified mobile courseware in other mathematics courses and other subject areas. Additionally, future studies can examine how gamified mobile courseware can improve learning outcomes for students with different learning needs. Further research can also investigate the impact of gamified mobile courseware on student motivation, interest, and performance in mathematics courses.

Aiming at the problems of long evaluation time and poor evaluation accuracy of existing evaluation methods, an improved decision tree-based evaluation method for the effectiveness of college online course teaching reform is proposed. Firstly, the teaching mode of college online course is analysed, and an evaluation system is constructed to ensure the applicability of the evaluation method. Secondly, AHP entropy weight method is used to calculate the weights of evaluation indicators to ensure the accuracy and authority of evaluation results. Finally, the evaluation model based on decision tree algorithm is constructed and improved by fuzzy neural network to further optimise the evaluation results. The parameters of fuzzy neural network are adjusted and gradient descent method is used to optimise the evaluation results, so as to effectively evaluate the effect of college online course teaching reform. Through experiments, the evaluation time of the method is less than 5 ms, and the evaluation accuracy is more than 92.5%, which shows that the method is efficient and accurate, and provides an effective evaluation means for the teaching reform of online courses in colleges and universities.

The conventional methods for identifying English online course learning behaviours have the problems of low recognition accuracy and high time cost. Therefore, a multimodal data fusion-based method for identifying English online course learning behaviours is proposed. Firstly, the analytic hierarchy process is used for decision fusion of multimodal data of learning behaviour. Secondly, based on the fusion results of multimodal data, weight coefficients are set to minimise losses and extract learning behaviour features. Finally, based on the extracted learning behaviour characteristics, the optimal classification function is constructed to classify the learning behaviour of English online courses. Based on the transfer information of learning behaviour status, the identification of online course learning behaviour is completed. The experimental results show that the recognition accuracy of the proposed method is above 90%, and its recognition accuracy is and can shorten the recognition time of learning behaviour, with high practical application reliability.

This paper compares the effect of social isolation on students enrolled in online courses versus students enrolled in on campus courses (called in this paper Face-to-Face or F2F). Grade data was collected from one online section and two F2F sections of a computer literacy course that was recently taught by one of the authors of this study. The same instructor taught all sections thereby providing a controlled comparison between the two forms of teaching (F2F and online). This paper first introduces the plan and the limitation of this study. It provides a literature review and notes the trend of social isolation found in online courses. This paper then presents a summary of the collected data; and offers a conclusion based on the collected data.

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify how Advanced level Mathematics and Mathematics course units offered at university level do impact on the academic performance of theoretical Computer Science course units. Background: In Sri Lankan state universities, students have been enrolled only from the Physical Science stream to do a degree program in Computer Science. In addition to that, universities have been offering some course units in Mathematics to provide the required mathematical maturity to Computer Science undergraduates. Despite of this it is observed that the failure rates in fundamental theoretical Computer Science course units are much higher than other course units offered in the general degree program every year. Methodology : Academic records comprised of all 459 undergraduates from three consecutive batches admitted to the degree program in Computer Science from a university were considered for this study. Contribution: This study helps academics in identifying suitable curricula for Mathematics course units to improve students’ performance in theoretical Computer Science courses. Findings: Advanced level Mathematics does not have any significant effect on the academic performance of theoretical Computer Science course units. Even though all Mathematics course units offered were significantly correlated with academic performance of every theoretical Computer Science course unit, only the Discrete Mathematics course unit highly impacted on the academic performance of all three theoretical Computer Science course units. Further this study indicates that the academic performance of female undergraduates is better than males in all theoretical Computer Science and Mathematics course units. Future Research: Identifying other critical success factors contributing to the students’ academic performance of the theoretical Computer Science through empirical studies

Aim/Purpose. Higher education institutions face difficulties and challenges when it comes to distance learning. The purpose of this paper is to examine self-efficacy indicators and student satisfaction during online English classes. Background. E-learning has been very relevant since the Covid-19 era and is still relevant today. It is possible for students to study regardless of their location or time. By measuring students’ self-efficacy, instructors can gain valuable insights into their students’ ability to create social interaction, cope with technology, and acquire knowledge and tools to manage the learning process. Methodology. This study uses mixed methods along with two measurements. Before and after the course, quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Higher education students in Israel participated. A total of 964 students enrolled in English as a foreign language courses at the pre-basic, basic, and advanced levels. Contribution. Analyzing self-efficacy from several angles provides insight into students. What influences students’ confidence and belief in their ability to succeed in online courses. Moreover, how students perceive their own learning and how they cope with challenges. Findings. Compared to the measurement before the course, self-efficacy decreased on average. Most significant decreases occurred in ‘creating social interactions’ and ‘acquirement of knowledge and tools’ to manage the learning process. A slight decrease was observed in the ability to cope with technology. Additionally, self-efficacy and satisfaction with the course were positively correlated. Recommendations for Practitioners. An overview is provided of the most effective tools and techniques for teaching languages in digital format in this paper. This will allow instructors to design and deliver courses in a more effective way. Thus, they will be able to make better informed decisions, resulting in better outcomes for students. Recommendations for Researchers. Distance Learning courses should resemble the common digital environments in everyday life, rather than imitating face-to-face courses mainly in the field of social interaction. Impact on Society. Digital tools should be encouraged that facilitate effective learning processes instead of sticking to traditional methods that characterize face-to-face courses. Using common interfaces in daily use among the general population will enable the implementation of these recommendations. Future Research. Future studies could be helpful if they compared the English courses developed in the CEFR model with those taught face-to-face as well as those taught online. In addition, motivation and self-monitoring should be examined in both synchronous and asynchronous courses as well.

Aim/Purpose: Sharing ideas generated in a Business Intelligence (BI) Applications class to upgrade an Information System in to an Informing System. Background: Course Registration is the essential university’s business process in a university that follows a liberal-arts education model. Almost all categories of users are involved, including students, individual faculties and departments, and administration. A typical Information System, designed to support this process, allows departments to schedule selected courses for a particular time slot and location, and allows students to choose courses to study for the semester. Methodology: The course project is to design a BI application. Domain knowledge is essential for such projects and course registration was the natural choice for this class. The assignment includes (1) identifying the categories of stakeholders; (2) identifying the information needs of different categories; (3) identifying available information sources; (4) identifying how is possible to acquire the additional data; and (5) designing the Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) process and interface scenarios in a way to inform clients. Contribution: Contributions are in two directions: (1) pedagogy - involving students in such a project motivates creativity, also enforcing students to think in cost-benefit framework may lead to creation of really effective and efficient solutions; (2) practice - implementation of some of the ideas could be with low cost, but with high impact. Findings: Exploring BI techniques may increase the informing value of existing Information Systems. Recommendations for Practitioners: Careful analysis of information needs and the way information is used, combined with deep domain knowledge and understanding the value provided by Data Mining techniques, is the way to initiate a process of transforming an Retrieval Information System to better inform clients. Recommendation for Researchers : Combining pedagogy with practice allows one to overcome routine thinking and may lead to effective solutions. This needs further structuring and research on outcomes. Impact on Society Transforming Information towards Informing Systems has a significant impact by allowing users to make rational data driven decisions in an efficient way. Future Research: The future of this project is implementation of developed ideas and assessment of the results. Impact on Society : Transforming Information towards Informing Systems has a significant impact by allowing users to make rational data driven decisions in an efficient way. Future Research: The future of this project is implementation of developed ideas and assessment of the results.

If you’re interested in learning a new skill, hoping to get a raise at work or considering a career change, taking a free online course could help you get closer to your goal.  In this article, we’re going to take a look at 23 online resources where you can find educational videos and university-level courses […]

The post Where To Take Free Online Courses appeared first on Clark Howard.

If you've been let go from your organization, is it appropriate to try to maintain the internal and external professional relationships you've made during your time there? What implicit and explicit rules exist around contacting former clients and colleagues? Elaine Varelas explores the many aspects of this situation.

The post Maintaining professional relationships after being let go from a company—Elaine Varelas advises on an appropriate course of action appeared first on Boston.com.

Lowell, MA — A new online training course is designed to introduce Total Worker Health concepts to occupational safety and health professionals.

Lowell, MA — Keeping workers safe during a disaster – natural or human-caused – is the goal of a new online course from a NIOSH Total Worker Health Center of Excellence.

By adopting the AVS-01 Standard, TMA says monitoring centers can enhance alarm response processes and contribute to industry-wide standardization and efficiency.

Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA is offering for free its latest training course on keeping workers safe in confined spaces.

Children's Geographies; 10/01/2021
(AN 152966706); ISSN: 14733285
Academic Search Premier

With this new training program, designed by instructional experts and based on neuroscience principles for adult learning, mid-level managers in the food supply chain can strengthen their knowledge in an easy-to-follow, modular format. 

Snack, bakery industry personnel are constantly learning.

Tate & Lyle PLC has joined forces with the Nutrition and Health Institute INSK (Instituto de Nutrición y Salud de Kellogg´s) of Kellogg, to share the latest science on dietary fibers with health clinicians, nutritionists, and food and beverage industry professionals.

New U.S. Virgin Islands Insurance CE Requirements Can be Satisfied Through WebCE

"Staying the Course" Empowers Children to Find Healing and Voice after Trauma

Book motivates new and aspiring entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams.

Punyam Academy is happy to launch the updated ISO/IEC 17043:2023 Auditor Training E-learning course and documentation kit. This newly launched ISO 17043 auditor training course with certification will help users to understand the requirements.

Brace yourselves. Inspirational entrepreneur Lashaun Drew and visionary creative Eric Vincent are joining forces to organize a groundbreaking event set to transform the New Jersey business landscape

Feb 20, 2025, 11am EST

The Tufts CSDD postgraduate course in clinical pharmacology, drug development, and regulation is the longest-running professional development program in the biopharma space. Now in its 52nd year, this unique annual course prepares both new and experienced drug developers, regulators, policy makers, clinical investigators, and academic researchers for success in the life sciences sector. Thousands of drug development professionals are alumni of this prestigious one-of-a-kind program. Top speakers from industry, academia, and the FDA share their expertise to create a highly stimulating and rewarding learning environment.

Location Details: Virtual event via Zoom
Open to Public: No
Primary Audience(s): Faculty, Postdoctoral Fellows, Staff, Students (Graduate)
Event Type: Conference/Panel Event/Symposium, Lecture/Presentation/Seminar/Talk
Subject: Career Development, Health/Wellness, Innovation, Medicine, Science
Event Sponsor Details: Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development
Event Contact Name: Sarah Wrobel
Event Contact Email: sarah.wrobel@tufts.edu
RSVP Information: secure.touchnet.net…
More info: csdd.tufts.edu…

Feb 13, 2025, 11am EST

The Tufts CSDD postgraduate course in clinical pharmacology, drug development, and regulation is the longest-running professional development program in the biopharma space. Now in its 52nd year, this unique annual course prepares both new and experienced drug developers, regulators, policy makers, clinical investigators, and academic researchers for success in the life sciences sector. Thousands of drug development professionals are alumni of this prestigious one-of-a-kind program. Top speakers from industry, academia, and the FDA share their expertise to create a highly stimulating and rewarding learning environment.

Location Details: Virtual event via Zoom
Open to Public: No
Primary Audience(s): Faculty, Postdoctoral Fellows, Staff, Students (Graduate)
Event Type: Conference/Panel Event/Symposium, Lecture/Presentation/Seminar/Talk
Subject: Career Development, Health/Wellness, Innovation, Medicine, Science
Event Sponsor Details: Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development
Event Contact Name: Sarah Wrobel
Event Contact Email: sarah.wrobel@tufts.edu
RSVP Information: secure.touchnet.net…
More info: csdd.tufts.edu…

Feb 6, 2025, 11am EST

The Tufts CSDD postgraduate course in clinical pharmacology, drug development, and regulation is the longest-running professional development program in the biopharma space. Now in its 52nd year, this unique annual course prepares both new and experienced drug developers, regulators, policy makers, clinical investigators, and academic researchers for success in the life sciences sector. Thousands of drug development professionals are alumni of this prestigious one-of-a-kind program. Top speakers from industry, academia, and the FDA share their expertise to create a highly stimulating and rewarding learning environment.

Location Details: Virtual event via Zoom
Open to Public: No
Primary Audience(s): Faculty, Postdoctoral Fellows, Staff, Students (Graduate)
Event Type: Conference/Panel Event/Symposium, Lecture/Presentation/Seminar/Talk
Subject: Career Development, Health/Wellness, Innovation, Medicine, Science
Event Sponsor Details: Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development
Event Contact Name: Sarah Wrobel
Event Contact Email: sarah.wrobel@tufts.edu
RSVP Information: secure.touchnet.net…
More info: csdd.tufts.edu…

Jan 30, 2025, 11am EST

The Tufts CSDD postgraduate course in clinical pharmacology, drug development, and regulation is the longest-running professional development program in the biopharma space. Now in its 52nd year, this unique annual course prepares both new and experienced drug developers, regulators, policy makers, clinical investigators, and academic researchers for success in the life sciences sector. Thousands of drug development professionals are alumni of this prestigious one-of-a-kind program. Top speakers from industry, academia, and the FDA share their expertise to create a highly stimulating and rewarding learning environment.

Location Details: Virtual event via Zoom
Open to Public: No
Primary Audience(s): Faculty, Postdoctoral Fellows, Staff, Students (Graduate)
Event Type: Conference/Panel Event/Symposium, Lecture/Presentation/Seminar/Talk
Subject: Career Development, Health/Wellness, Innovation, Medicine, Science
Event Sponsor Details: Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development
Event Contact Name: Sarah Wrobel
Event Contact Email: sarah.wrobel@tufts.edu
RSVP Information: secure.touchnet.net…
More info: csdd.tufts.edu…

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) today proposed a $2.16 billion operating budget that keeps fares at current levels, delivers more bus and rail service hours than provided in 2019, and fuels new and ongoing investments to either expand or modernize existing infrastructure, while also evolving current systems to meet modern transit riding needs.

Maplesoft today released Möbius, a hands-on learning tool focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. The online courseware environment provides an interactive platform for students to explore STEM concepts, visualize problems and solutions, and receive real-time assessment feedback.

Recording Venue: Skype Guest: Douglas C. Schmidt In this episode we talk with Douglas C. Schmidt, who is a professor of computer science at Vanderbilt University and a well-respected authority in the fields of patterns and frameworks for concurrent and networked software. In this interview we talk about these topics in the context of massive […]

Is there anywhere in the United States I can take an electronics intensive course anytime between mid-June and October? I find myself needing to learn quite a lot of electronics quite quickly. I would do better with structured learning than independent study. Is there anywhere in the US that offers an intensive course with substantial lab time that fits my schedule (mid-June through October)?

Bonus points for Hawaii, Upper Midwest/Great Lakes, Pacific Northwest, coastal Canada, or New England. Thanks.

Amazing Facts International is excited to announce that the Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism (AFCOE) will hold its fall 2024 complete course in Granite Bay, California, beginning in August!

The three-month program aligns with Pastor Doug Batchelor’s upcoming Prophecy Odyssey evangelistic series in New York City in September. The class will help local congregations prepare for the reaping event through intensive training in outreach, including giving Bible studies, answering difficult Bible questions, organizing effective pre-work, discipling new believers, and much more.

However, the training provided for this series is not meant to benefit only our friends in NYC. Carlos Muñoz, AFCOE director, says, “We invite everyone, from everywhere, to come train and work for this event and learn how to replicate it in their local congregations. What you learn and practice here will help you grow your community of faith wherever you live.”

AFCOE is designed to help Christians from all backgrounds speak persuasively for Christ in public settings, develop a vibrant devotional life, confidently share their faith with others, and identify their specific calling in ministry. AFCOE can even teach you how to start and grow your own ministry.

Students will get winsome, empowering instruction from Pastor Doug and other experienced soul-winners, including Jëan Ross, vice president of evangelism; Carlos Muñoz; Daniel Hudgens, AFCOE assistant director; Dr. David Shin; Dwayne Lemon; Anil Kanda; and many more. Our instructors and guest speakers have excelled in their ministry fields and will give you a wider breadth of outreach and Bible knowledge.

Students will also go beyond the classroom to win souls for Jesus, working directly with Amazing Facts and churches to gain valuable outreach experience that will make an eternal difference. Says Pastor Doug, “AFCOE is about learning while doing. Students do real work in real communities and with real people, bringing real results for the Master.”

[PQ-HERE]

Is God Calling You?

Would you like to be a part of this amazing experience? Do you desire to become a better soul-winner, Bible worker, missionary, health evangelist, or whatever else God has called you to be? We invite you to learn more at afcoe.org today. Prayerfully ask God whether He wants you to receive this empowering, life-changing outreach training and win souls for Christ in these last days!

Quick Facts:

• Three-month outreach training course (August 15 to November 16).

• Classes are held in Granite Bay, California.

• Your AFCOE fee will cover airfare and lodging to New York City for Prophecy Odyssey outreach.

• Space is limited—housing enrollment deadline: July 18.

Apply today at afcoe.org!

Coding for #AI and #machinelearning – online course/workshop We are exploring a new way to learning how to code for AI and Machine Learning by applying ideas of  deliberate practise Starting Oct 2018 – the workshop has limited places Please contact info@futuretext.com if you want to sign up for our online workshop (300 USD)   [...]

The killing of Yahya Sinwar won’t change the course of the Gaza war Expert comment jon.wallace 18 October 2024

Israel has larger ambitions for Gaza beyond the Hamas leader’s death and the armed group is still asserting its influence despite its degradation.

After a year of being hunted as one of the most wanted men in the Middle East, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces on 17 October, in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

Hailing from Khan Younis refugee camp, Sinwar was imprisoned in Israel in 1989 for the abduction and killing of two Israeli soldiers. He was freed alongside 1,000 other prisoners during a major 2011 exchange, gradually building a notorious reputation as an intelligent and ruthless political figure.

As Hamas’ Gaza chief since 2017, Sinwar oversaw the consolidation of the movement’s authoritarian rule in the Strip and co-directed its military confrontations with Israel. He is regarded as a chief architect of Hamas’ deadly assault of 7 October, which killed 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, in southern communities.

Many world leaders and pundits were quick to embrace Sinwar’s death as an opportunity to press for a ceasefire in Gaza and secure the release of roughly 100 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas and other groups. It is too early to know the full repercussions of this development, but these hopes are largely misplaced – and reflect a reluctance to confront the larger obstacles and motivations that are preventing an end to the war.

Morale amid aimlessness

For Israelis, Sinwar’s death is undoubtedly a morale booster. It is a symbolic victory over a man deemed responsible for the 7 October massacres, and a tactical success that rids Israel of a formidable foe – one who was also an invested ally of Iran and the Axis of Resistance. Israeli politicians and generals will relish the news as another step towards restoring their reputations after their failure to prevent the 7 October attack.

Yet contrary to some wishful thinking, Sinwar’s death is unlikely to change Israel’s calculus in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose popularity has been slowly recovering in recent months, described the news as ‘the beginning of the end’ but warned that ‘the task before us is not yet complete’.

The intensification of Israel’s war with Hezbollah – including a ground invasion of Lebanon, airstrikes across the country, and the displacement of over 1 million people – has shifted Israelis’ focus away from Gaza over the past month, especially as Hezbollah rockets disrupt life in Israel’s central cities as well as the north.

During that time, the Israeli army has begun a major offensive in the northern part of the Strip, implementing what appears to be the first part of the so-called ‘General’s Plan’ – an operation to besiege and force out roughly 300,000 Palestinian civilians who remain in the area. It could also pave the way for Israel’s absorption of part of the territory. (Israel’s military has denied pursuing the plan).

As such, the Israeli government has relegated the importance of the hostages. Netanyahu is eager to divert the public’s frustration with his months-long sabotage of a deal, while the military – despite its clashes with the prime minister – is seizing the chance to redraw Israel’s geopolitical environment. Even if a deal is struck in the wake of Sinwar’s death, Israel’s bombing and carving-up of Gaza and south Lebanon will likely continue.

Dynamic but degraded

For Hamas, the killing of its fiery politburo chief – just over two months after the assassination of his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran – is certainly a blow to its leadership and internal stability. But the Islamist movement’s dynamism has not changed. Hamas’s decision-making processes are not pegged to specific individuals, and other figures, whether in Gaza or in exile, will be rotated into senior positions.

It is unclear whether Hamas will promote a leader who shares Sinwar’s hardline orientation, or drift back to a more moderate figure similar to Haniyeh. Regardless, Hamas’s core demands in any ceasefire and hostage negotiations are unlikely to shift significantly. The movement is still seeking a permanent end to the war, and Israel is still refusing to grant it.

Hamas’s military capacity has been severely degraded by the Israeli offensive, not least by the fact that much of Gaza has been made unliveable and ungovernable. But the movement is far from destroyed. Its militants continue to fight a guerrilla war to undermine Israel’s foothold in Gaza, while trying to reassert Hamas control over public order, the war economy, and the distribution of aid.

Moreover, as the history of movements like Hamas and Hezbollah shows, the devastating nature of Israel’s campaigns and occupations are planting the seeds for further militancy among Palestinians, whether organized under Hamas or smaller, decentralized groups. The war has brutally decimated Gaza’s society, and the notion that killing figures like Sinwar will dissuade future recruits to fight Israel is fanciful.

On the Palestinian political level, Hamas and Fatah are still in talks about forming a unity agreement, though negotiations have so far remained fruitless. Even if a pact is made, Israel’s relentless targeting of Hamas personnel, the perception of the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority (PA) as feckless collaborators, and Palestinians’ feeling of total abandonment raise doubts about the parties’ ability to regain popular support or legitimacy – whether to lead an interim government or the wider national movement.

The gravest threat

The killing of Sinwar is a significant marker in the Gaza war, with important ramifications for the movement he led and the conflict he seismically shaped. Israel will portray his death as validation of its aggressive military approach, and a further step in the erosion of Iran’s regional influence – an agenda the US has actively supported.