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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaJeremy Bowen: Israel denies famine looms in Gaza, but evidence is overwhelmingPublished2 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warImage source, ReutersImage caption, Erez crossing remains closed despite Israel saying it would reopen itBy Jeremy BowenBBC international editor The first time I crossed into Gaza through the Erez checkpoint in 1991 it was not much more than a few bored Israeli soldiers in a shed, checking IDs, before they let visitors drive their cars through an opening in the barbed wire and into Gaza. In the years since then, it evolved into a gleaming terminal, with complex layers of concrete walls, defences and steel gates, all covered with dozens of CCTV cameras. Only the very trusted and privileged were allowed to drive through Erez. Journalists had to walk and drag their bags with them. Until 7 October, when Hamas fighters smashed through Erez. They attacked the nearby military base, killing Israeli soldiers and taking others hostage. Since then, it has been closed to all but the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). As part of Israel’s attempt to placate President Joe Biden after seven workers from the World Central Kitchen charity were killed by the IDF, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to reopen Erez to humanitarian convoys. That matters because it is the simplest way to get aid to perhaps 300,000 Palestinians in northern Gaza. The most authoritative measure of food emergencies, known as the IPC, has warned that famine will have gripped the area in the next four weeks or so. Joe Biden’s humanitarian envoy to Gaza, David Satterfield, said on Wednesday that there was “an imminent risk of famine for the majority, if not all, the 2.2 million population of Gaza”. The famine has been caused by the siege Israel imposed just after the 7 October attacks. At the time the Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said: “I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed. “We are fighting human animals, and we are acting accordingly.” Israel was forced by international pressure to allow in limited supplies of aid. But over six months it has not been anything like enough. Israel argued, inaccurately, that hunger in Gaza was caused by Hamas stealing and stockpiling aid and the UN’s failure to distribute what was left.Close supporters of Prime Minister Netanyahu continue to deny there is a famine. One of them, an MP called Boaz Bismuth, told me at Israel’s parliament that there was no famine in Gaza and allegations that Israel was starving civilians were based on antisemitism. The evidence of famine, however, is overwhelming.Image source, Boaz Bismuth/XImage caption, Israeli MP Boaz Bismuth said allegations that Israel was starving civilians were based on antisemitismThe Erez crossing, despite the prime minister’s promise to Joe Biden, is still closed. I managed to get close enough to look down on the Erez terminal. Nothing was moving. I couldn’t see people, let alone trucks. Reports in Israel say the government is talking about opening another crossing, less easily accessible to Israeli demonstrators who do not want any food or medical aid to enter Gaza while the hostages are still there and have been blocking some convoys. The UN and other aid providers say every day counts to try to help people caught up in the humanitarian catastrophe inside Gaza. The fact that Erez is closed looks like a delaying tactic. The Jewish ultranationalists whose backing keeps Mr Netanyahu in power also do not want to send in aid. The denial of famine fits seamlessly into the century of conflict between Arabs and Jews for possession of the land between the river Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. The conflict is sustained not just by years of Israeli occupation of land in Gaza and the West Bank including East Jerusalem that Palestinians want as a state, and the opposition of armed groups, notably Hamas, to Israel’s existence. They also have opposing, wildly different national stories about their right to be there. The bitterness and bloodshed of the last six months have deepened the dehumanising differences between the two sides. Erez and Ashdod: How will new Gaza aid routes work?Bowen: Obstacles to peace seem larger than ever I have spoken to many Palestinians and Israeli civilians in the last six months about their views of the war. It is hard to speak to Israeli soldiers, at least when they are in uniform. IDF spokespeople try hard to control the messages that reach journalists. But since much of Israel’s fighting strength depends on mobilising reservists, it is much easier to talk to them when they are back in civilian life. In an unscientific attempt to get a feel for the beliefs and perceptions of Israeli soldiers after six months of war I went to Ben Gurion University of the Negev, in the town of Beersheba in southern Israel. It is only about 25 miles from Gaza. Image caption, Students from the university were among those killed on 7 OctoberThe rector of the university, Chaim Hames, told me that more than 100 members of their community – students, staff, faculty and their families – had been killed or taken hostage on 7 October. 6,500 students from a student body of 20,000 were mobilised. The war, Mr Hames said, was always close. “The hospital is just across the road, the helicopters constantly ferrying the wounded from Gaza. Students are sitting in the classrooms. They hear the helicopters coming in and out, and many of them have friends who are still on active duty. It impacts everything.” I spoke to three young men who had spent months fighting in Gaza. They didn’t want to use their full names. One of them, Ben, a 28-year-old postgraduate who serves in an engineering unit blowing up tunnels, had left only a few days before. He said the whole time he was in there it felt personal. “I remember 7 October. I remember all my friends and the kibbutzim from the Gaza Strip. All my friends from the music festival… some are still hostages. The whole point was to make sure that it can never happen again and to replace Hamas as the ruling government. To make sure that our people are safe again.””It’s extremely personal. From day one. I didn’t wake up on a Saturday morning and hear about this from the news. I woke up and learned about it from group chats. From my phone, from people begging for help.” Image caption, The three Israeli students said the war was necessaryOded, another 28-year-old who serves in a combat unit, agreed. “I think everybody here is related somehow to what happened. Everybody. Everybody knows someone that was kidnapped. That was killed… It’s not like a regular situation when it happens to a certain area. It’s heavy. It’s everywhere.” Ilan, a 25-year-old who serves in the reconnaissance unit of the paratroop brigade, detected sympathy and support for Hamas among civilians with whom he had come into contact.”Of course, there are civilians that have nothing to do with it, but many of them are not that innocent… Many had photos of them holding an AK 47, photos of their children holding weapons. All the books, and pictures of Israel in flames.” “I think many of them aren’t innocent and they think it will be really hard to find those that are innocent. But it doesn’t mean I think everyone should get hurt”.All three student soldiers agreed the war was necessary. “We all wish for peace,” said Oded. “For quiet. Of course, I prefer to be here in the university to study, to go and drink my coffee instead of fighting a war like. It’s not fun going to fight in a war, but sometimes it’s necessary. And in this situation, it’s necessary.”According to a poll conducted by Tel Aviv University’s Peace Index three weeks after the 7 October attacks, most Israelis said they were now against the idea, revived by Joe Biden and other Western leaders, that the only way of ending this long conflict is to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Ben said his thinking had changed because of the war. “I think that if you would have asked me this question on 6 October, then I would say definitely yes, I would just do a Palestinian state. Let them live over there, and we’ll live over here, and we’ll all coexist, and everything will be nice. But after 7 October, it seems clear to me that that they don’t want it as much as I wanted it.” Ilan agreed with him. “The idea of a state will never work until they show any acknowledgement of us having also a state of our own. I think the real cause of many of them, unfortunately, not to have two states to have one state, their own state, and us out of here. So of course, I want a good life for them also. But it starts from the education, the route. It will take a long time.” Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The Islamic University in Gaza City was badly damaged in Israeli bombardments, as were the territory’s 11 other universitiesThe Palestinian view of the war is entirely different. The idea that Israel is committing genocide alongside a whole range of other crimes of war in Gaza is universally accepted among them. As for education, schools and universities have been smashed by Israel in Gaza, as part of a scorched earth policy that has done vast damage.More than 2,000 academics affiliated with universities in North America have written an open letter condemning what they call “scholasticide” in Gaza. All 12 universities in Gaza have been destroyed and damaged. The letter condemns Israel for, among other actions, destroying the Islamic University by air strikes on 11 October and blowing up al-Isra University on 17 January, after using it as a barracks and detention centre. As well as the destruction of higher education, no children are going to primary or secondary schools. Ceasefire talks are going on in Cairo, mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar. Prospects for success are poor. Both Israel and Hamas have entrenched positions and no inclination to budge. That is bad news for everyone, especially Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the surviving Israeli hostages. Related TopicsIsrael-Gaza warIsraelPalestinian territoriesMore on this storyErez and Ashdod: How will new Gaza aid routes work?Published2 days agoFirst Gaza aid ship sets off from CyprusPublished12 MarchInside the US plan to get food into Gaza by seaPublished13 MarchUN uses new route from Israel to reach north GazaPublished13 MarchWhy food airdrops into Gaza are controversialPublished6 MarchTop StoriesOJ Simpson, NFL star cleared in ‘trial of the century’, dies aged 76Published1 hour agoPostmistress jailed while pregnant rejects ex-Post Office boss’ apologyPublished2 hours agoKey power plant near Kyiv destroyed by Russian strikesPublished5 hours agoFeaturesObituary: The spectacular fall of NFL star OJ SimpsonListen: Americast – The life and death of OJ SimpsonAttributionSoundsBowen: Israel denies famine looms in Gaza, but evidence is overwhelmingHow gang violence gripped a tourist havenNazanin: ‘Freedom is sweet… but it’s not easy’What is the minimum salary UK visa applicants need?UK weather: Is it turning warmer?AttributionWeatherWas South Korea’s president thwarted by a spring onion?Listen: How will Labour plug the gap in NHS funding?AttributionSoundsElsewhere on the BBCShould you be worried about getting enough protein?Dr Julia Ravey and Dr Ella Hubber unpick this macronutrient to find out what it does in our bodiesAttributionSounds’I’m not difficult… I just cannot take mediocrity’Explore the meteoric rise to fame and troubled personal life of the comedy pioneer Peter SellersAttributioniPlayer’I was freaking out, I knew I was in trouble’How did Australian Holly Deane-Johns end up in a notorious Thai prison?AttributionSoundsUnearthing the fascinating stories of our ancestorsBritain’s Biggest Dig gives a glimpse into the life of the rich and poor of Georgian LondonAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Man in court over murder of wife as she pushed pram2OJ Simpson, NFL star cleared in ‘trial of the century’, dies aged 763Postmistress jailed while pregnant rejects ex-Post Office boss’ apology4Stormy conditions turn sea pink5Dazzling artwork found at ancient city of Pompeii6Wife died in ‘out of character’ attack by husband with dementia7Key power plant near Kyiv destroyed by Russian strikes8Donelan’s libel bills cost taxpayers £34,0009Ukrainian MPs pass law to boost troop numbers10Vietnamese billionaire sentenced to death for $44bn fraud
[ad_1] That matters because it is the simplest way to get aid to perhaps 300,000 Palestinians in northern Gaza. The most authoritative measure of food emergencies, known as the IPC,…
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityAsiaChinaIndiaExtreme heat at work can double stillbirth risk, India study findsPublished3 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsClimateImage caption, Cucumber picker Sumathy lost a baby 12 weeks into her pregnancyBy Tulip MazumdarGlobal health correspondentWorking in extreme heat can double the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage for pregnant women, according to new research from India. The study found that the risks to mothers-to-be are significantly higher than previously thought. Researchers say hotter summers can affect not only women in tropical climates, but also in countries such as the UK.They want specific health advice for working pregnant women globally.Eight hundred pregnant women in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu took part in the study, which was started in 2017 by the Faculty of Public Health at the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER) in Chennai. About half of those who took part worked in jobs where they were exposed to high levels of heat, such as agriculture, brick kilns and salt flats. The others worked in cooler environments, such as schools and hospitals, although some workers were also exposed to very high levels of heat in those jobs too.There is no universal threshold for what level of heat is considered to be too hot for the human body.”[The impact of heat] is relative to what you’re used to and what your body’s used to,” says Prof Jane Hirst, one of the scientists who contributed to the study.In the lush green fields of Tiruvannamalai, I meet Sumathy, one of the pregnant women who took part.She removes her thick gloves and stretches out her fingers. She has been picking cucumbers for the past two hours.”My hands burn in this heat,” she tells me, gently caressing her fingertips.Summer hasn’t even started yet, but already it is about 30 degrees here today and feeling hotter with the humidity.Sumathy has to protect her hands from the constant stabbing of the tiny spikes on the cucumbers, but the gloves make her sweat profusely.”My face burns too,” she says.She comes to the cucumber farm before and after her main job, working as a cook in a school, and is paid about 200 rupees or just under £2 for her efforts.India’s Mothers: Bearing the HeatThe BBC’s global health correspondent Tulip Mazumdar reports from southern India on new research suggesting heat can double the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage.Watch on BBC iPlayer (UK only)Sumathy was one of the first recruits. Her baby was also one of the first in the study to die.”I used to feel so exhausted being pregnant and working in the heat,” she says.One day, as Sumathy was dropping off her husband’s lunch, she suddenly started feeling very unwell. That evening, she went to see a doctor who told her she had suffered a miscarriage 12 weeks into her pregnancy. “My husband would lay me down on his lap and console me. I don’t know what I would have done without him,” she says.Sumathy talks about her husband with so much love but has had to learn to live without him. He recently died, and she is now the main breadwinner for the family.Sumathy will never know for sure if working in the heat during her pregnancy had anything to do with her losing her first child. But overall, the study found that women who worked in similar conditions as her were twice as likely to suffer a stillbirth or miscarriage than those working in cooler environments.Important for women all over the worldThe pregnant women in the study in India really are “at the forefront of experiencing climate change,” says Prof Hirst, who is a UK-based consultant obstetrician, and Professor of Global Women’s Health at medical research organisation The George Institute.Earth’s average temperature is projected to rise by nearly three degrees by the end of the century, compared with pre-industrial times, and the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning of “an existential threat to all of us” with pregnant women facing “some of the gravest consequences”.Image caption, Rekha Shanmugam measures the daytime heat in sugar cane fields in TiruvannamalaiPrevious studies have shown about a 15% rise in the risk of premature birth and stillbirth during heatwaves, but these have generally been conducted in high-income countries such as the US and Australia. The latest findings from India are particularly stark and worrying, says Prof Hirst, and have wider implications. “The UK is getting hotter summers, and while it’s not as hot as India, these adverse effects [on pregnancies] can be seen at much lower temperatures in more temperate climates, such as the UK.” However, she adds, they do need to be “kept in perspective”. Even with a doubling of risk, experiencing baby loss is still going to be a “rare event for most women”.How does extreme heat affect pregnant women? Listen to The Climate Question podcast on BBC Sounds nowThere is currently no official international advice for pregnant working women in the heat. The main guidance that does exist for hot-weather working, is based on studies involving a man in the US military in the 1960s and 70s, weighing 70-75kg and with 20% body fat. Prof Hirst hopes this study, and further research, will change that. In the meantime, Prof Hirst and Prof Vidhya Venugopal, from the Faculty of Public Health at SRIHER, who led the research on India, say pregnant women working in the heat can protect themselves by:Avoiding prolonged periods in the heatTaking regular shade breaks if working outdoors on hot daysAvoiding exercising or sunbathing for long periods in the hottest part of the dayKeeping hydrated with waterFor the study in India, the researchers used what is called the wet-bulb-globe-temperature (WBGT), which measures the effects of temperature, humidity, wind speed and radiant heat on human bodies.WBGT readings are often lower than the temperatures you might see forecast on the TV or a weather app.The safe heat threshold for people doing heavy work is 27.5C WBGT, according to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration. ‘No choice but to work out in the sun’ India is predicted to become one of the first countries in the world where temperatures will top the safe limit for healthy people who are simply resting in the shade, according to a recent study from the University of Cambridge.The number of hot days and hot nights (when the body struggles to recover from daytime heat) is also projected to double or even quadruple in India by 2050.In the sugarcane fields of Tiruvannamalai, Rekha Shanmugam, a former nurse and one of the SRIHER study’s researchers, is measuring the daytime heat.Around us, a couple of dozen workers – about half of them women – hack down thick stems of cane with small machetes. “These women often have no choice but to work out in the sun – they need the money,” says Ms Shanmugam.She pours water into a gauge and presses various buttons. It shows a WBGT temperature of 29.5C – that’s above the safe threshold for doing this type of physically demanding work in the heat.”If the workers continue for prolonged periods in this level of heat, they are more prone to heat-related illnesses, and it’s especially concerning for pregnant women,” she tells me. Image caption, Women like Sandhiya make up the backbone of India’s informal workforceSandhiya, 28, tells me she has no choice but to do this type of back-breaking work for which she gets paid about 600 rupees, just under £6 a day. She has two young children and an extended family to feed. Sandhiya also took part in the study – and lost her first child six months into her pregnancy.She had to take several months off work to recover and says she is still paying off the debts she racked up during that time.”All my desires centre around my children,” Sandhiya tells me. “I want them to study well and get good jobs. They shouldn’t end up toiling here in the fields like me.”The problem of peeingThe mechanisms around how and why heat impacts pregnant women and their growing babies in this troubling way are not well understood.A previous study in The Gambia found high temperatures could raise foetal heart rate and slow blood flow through the umbilical cord.One theory is that when the mother gets too hot, blood could be diverted away from the foetus, to help cool the mother down.Ms Shanmugam thinks a lack of toilets may also be playing a part.She says a previous study found many women didn’t want to squat in an open field to relieve themselves and so would avoid drinking water, developing urinary problems as a result. “They worry about insects and snakes in the bushes, or men peeping to look at them,” she says.”They often don’t feel safe, so they’ll just hold it in for the whole day and then finally go to the toilet when they get home.”Finding solutions India has made huge improvements to maternal and baby health in recent years, but the stillbirth rate is still 12.2 per 1,000 births, according to data from the World Bank Group. In the UK the rate is 2.7. The findings of the study in Tamil Nadu are being taken very seriously, says Dr TS Selbavinayagam, the state’s director for public health.”We already offer financial compensation to pregnant women, but maybe we need to look at options for giving alternative employment too,” he says. The state government offers poorer women 18,000 rupees (£170) when they reach 12 weeks of pregnancy, to try to ease some of their financial pressures. However, much of the power to protect these low-paid workers rests with workplace bosses.Image caption, Thillai Bhasker has erected steel roofs to provide much-needed shade for his brick kiln workersOn the outskirts of Chennai, Thillai Bhasker – a brick-kiln owner – has erected giant steel roofs with special heat-protective coatings on them, to provide his workers with much-needed shade. He’s been taking advice on better protecting workers from researchers at SRIHER.”Business owners should be smart enough to know how to retain the employees,” he says. “If you take care of them, they will take care of you.”He also told us he was planning to build women-only toilets. Some organisations are also offering education sessions on the simple steps women can take to better protect themselves in the heat. Insulated bottles are also being made available to keep drinking water cool.Sumathy had no choice but to continue to work in extreme heat when she became pregnant again within a couple of years of her miscarriage. But she got specific advice from doctors and the SRIHER researchers on how to better protect herself. Sumathy gave birth to a healthy daughter and son. Tonight – after her long shift – she will return home to them. Exhausted, anxious, but so grateful they are there.Follow @TulipMazumdar on XIf you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story, support and advice isavailable via the BBC Action Line.What questions do you have about this story? We’ll be answering them later today. In some cases your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.Use this form to ask your question:
If you are reading this page and can’t see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in. Related TopicsMiscarriageTamil NaduClimateIndiaPregnancyTop StoriesLive. US accuses Apple of monopolising smartphone marketLive. Which women might get state pension compensation? Your questions answeredInterest rate cuts ‘on the way’, says Bank bossPublished37 minutes agoFeaturesUK sees biggest increase in poverty for 30 yearsNew hope for sisters trapped in their bodies’I go to bed with an empty stomach’ – Haiti hunger spreadsA museum tried reverse misogyny. Now a man is suingThe new 28-year-old peer who wants to scrap the LordsThe boy killed by his ‘sadistic’ motherHow climate change made Easter eggs pricier’Our school has been crumbling for 20 years’Poland’s ‘Heart of the Garden’ named tree of 2024Elsewhere on the BBCWhat’s the key to literary success for Phillip Pullman?The author of His Dark Materials shares the advice he would give his younger selfAttributionSoundsGlobal glamazons start your engines!Catch up on all the the jaw-dropping looks and unforgettable performances before the grand finale…AttributioniPlayerThe fresh face of FerrariJennie Gow and the team look back on the Saudi Arabian Grand PrixAttributionSoundsFestivals, flamenco and old friendsStrictly’s dancing duo Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice take to the streets of sunny SpainAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Harry Kane statue revealed before going on display2Bank boss says UK interest rate cut ‘on the way’3Mum guilty of murdering scalded and caned son4Toddler steals the show during Queen’s NI visit5Terminally ill grandad scoops £1m lottery prize6More than 500 migrants arrive in small boats7TV’s Julie Goodyear slowly fading away, says husband8Cows turn heads as they bring town to a standstill9Knives Out director pays tribute to acting ‘legend’10Kermit the Frog honoured in new fossil find](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/5E90/production/_132980242_3img_1014.jpg)
