Global News Podcast - Bibas family funeral takes place in Israel

Episode Date: February 26, 2025

A Bibas family member calls on Israeli officials to take responsibility for the deaths of hostages in Hamas captivity. Also: life in Kurdish parts of Syria, and why an Australian radio host is out of a job.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Hello, I'm Katya Adler, host of the Global Story podcast from the BBC. Each weekday, we break down one big news story with fresh perspectives from journalists around the world. From artificial intelligence to divisive politics tearing our societies apart, from the movements of money and markets to the human stories that touch our lives, we bring you in-depth insights from across the BBC and beyond. Listen to The Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts. You're listening to The Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Oliver Conway.

We're recording this at 14 Hours GMT on Wednesday the 26th of February. An emotional day for Israel as the two young Bebas boys and their mother are laid to rest. A member of the family said they could have been saved but Israeli officials preferred revenge. The US and Ukraine agree a deal on minerals but what of security guarantees?

And why oil giant BP is slashing renewable investments and moving back to fossil fuels? Also in the podcast, 10 years on from ISIS, we report on life in Kurdish parts of Syria. You see so many young girls and women dancing and chanting. They have so many reasons to dance because if ISIS was ruling this region, I am sure they wouldn't be able to leave their home. It is a day of deep sorrow in Israel as hundreds of mourners paid their final respects to Shiri Bibes and her two young boys, Kfeir and Ariel. They were kidnapped during the 7th of October attacks, becoming a symbol of the horror of that day. Despite desperate hopes they would come home alive, their bodies were returned to Israel last week.

Today there was a long procession to their final resting place, with thousands lining the streets, many carrying flags, saying farewell to the family. Shiri's husband, Yarden Bebas, who spent more than a year in captivity in Gaza himself, made an emotional speech at the funeral. Shiri's sister-in-law, Ofri, criticised Israeli officials over their deaths, saying they could have saved her loved ones but preferred revenge. Forgiveness means accepting responsibility and committing to act differently, to learn from mistakes. There is no meaning to forgiveness before the failures are investigated and all officials take responsibility. A disaster as a nation and as a family should not have happened and must never happen again.

The funeral came as Israel and Hamas resolved their latest dispute over the ceasefire deal for Gaza. On Saturday Israel refused to release 600 Palestinian prisoners due to be handed over after six Israelis had been freed in Gaza. It accused Hamas of parading the hostages for propaganda purposes. Negotiators in Egypt say an agreement was reached to free the Palestinians as part of the final swap of the first phase of the ceasefire deal. Yolande Nel in Jerusalem has been giving the details to my colleague Lucy Hockings. It's been a bit of a confusing picture

that's emerged over the course of the day. Hamas said from late last night that mediation efforts had gone on in Cairo had resolved this latest impasse over the release of these 600 Palestinian prisoners. It said that it was going to go ahead with handing over the four remaining Israeli hostage bodies that it's supposed to hand over in this initial six-week stage of the Gaza ceasefire deal, and we're expecting another set of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for those bodies as well. But the latest statement that has come from Hamas, it now says the date for this exchange will be announced to what it describes as the right time. It said that the swap would take place through what it called a new mechanism guaranteeing Israel's commitment without giving more details on that. So there's still quite a lot of clarification that's needed you learn but

meanwhile today we've seen thousands of people line the streets on the road to Kibbutz near Oz because of course Shri Bibas and her two sons they have really become symbols of Israel's hostage ordeal and I see Yadam Bibes has been delivering a eulogy to his wife. What's he been saying? So he gave this very loving tribute to his wife Shiri and to his two little sons and talked too about what he saw as his failure to protect them. Shiri, I love you and I will always love you. Shiri, you are everything to me. You are the best wife and mum. Shiri, you are my best friend. I hope you are enjoying Paradise.

I'm sure you're making all the angels laugh with your impressions. I hope there are plenty of butterflies for you to watch, just like you did during our picnics. Kefir, I'm sorry I didn't protect you better, but I need you to know that I love you and miss you terribly." Many of the people, tens of thousands according to the Israeli media, that lined the route to watch this funeral procession go past, they were carrying orange balloons. This colour has really come to symbolise these two little boys and indeed the plight of the hostages and their families more widely because of the little boys bright red hair. Kofiibibas was the youngest of the 251 hostages who were taken on the 7th of October. His brother Ariel

was just four. We had their bodies returned along with that of their mother last week as part of this ongoing exchange once this week's proceedings have been completed. If all goes to plan 33 hostages that have been handed over in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees being released from Israeli jails and dissension centres. Yolan now in Jerusalem. Kurds in Syria have faced years of conflicts, more than a decade of civil war, and since 2016 battles with Turkish forces and their Syrian allies. Neighbouring Turkey regards the Kurdish armed groups as being linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party. BBC Persian correspondent Gia Gol has visited Kurdish controlled areas in north-eastern

Syria to find out what they seek for their future. As we cross the ancient Tigris River over a floating bridge from Iraqi Kurdistan, the mini-bus carrying us and several other civilians shakes and rattles. We are heading to the Kurdish-controlled northeastern region of Syria. Syrian Kurds call it Rojava, meaning the west of Kurdistan. Ten years ago, the so-called Islamic state militants ISIS swept through the northeast, reaching the iconic city of Kobani on the border with Turkey. ISIS imposed a tight siege over the city that lasted months. I joined hundreds of Kobani's residents as they celebrate the 10th anniversary of their

liberation from the terror of ISIS. You see so many young girls and women holding each other's hands, dancing and chanting in joy. I can imagine they have so many reasons to dance because if ISIS was ruling this region, I am sure they wouldn't be able to leave their home as a woman. Not far from Kobani, fighting rages on between the Kurdish-led SDF and Turkey-backed Syrian forces. Turkey sees one large armed component that is part of the SDF alliance as a terrorist organization. It wants to expel the group from its borders.

For weeks, Turkish drones have been targeting SDF supply routes. And even civilian anti-war protests have come under attack. This is Leo Boncy, a 28-year-old German peace activist who has been volunteering at a woman's shelter here for two years. She was injured in a recent attack. here for two years. She was injured in a recent attack. On her hospital bed, she shows us a video of two projectiles flying down from the air and hitting the ground in the middle of a group of people dancing. The protest was held near a strategic dam where fighting has been ongoing. A man also got injured. I lost some blood. That's why they wanted to send me to the hospital. But when we went into the ambulance car, again,

a drone attacked next to our ambulance. Human Rights Watch condemned the drone attacks on ambulances and the killing of civilians as apparent war crimes committed by the Turkish SNA correlation. But the Turkish government denies targeting civilians and infrastructure, instead accusing Kurdish forces of using civilians as human shields. Back in Kobani, locals fear that the battle could reach the city at any point.

Syria's new president, Ahmad al-Shar, has called on all armed groups in Syria to lay down their weapons. But for the Kurdish forces, who face an existential threat to their presence in the Northeast, this may not be an option. Damascus and the Kurdish-led SDF forces have been negotiating a solution for the Northeast. But Commander Muslim Abdi tells me the situation remains tense. In reality, we are still at war with Turkey and its proxies. Turkish jets and drones continue to bomb us.

In Damascus, it remains unclear what steps the new government will take. Their statements are positive, but they are under pressure from Turkey to act against the areas under our control. In one of Kobani's cemeteries, I join mourners as they bury two Kurdish fighters killed in a recent attack. Stability in Syria may be on the horizon, but for the Kurds, the future is uncertain. G.R. Ghol reporting from Syria. Earlier this month, Vladimir Zelensky refused a demand from Donald Trump to hand over half of Ukraine's future mineral resources.

That rejection angered the US president, who then accused the Ukrainian leader of being a dictator to the delight of Russia. Now the two men appear to have patched up their differences and agreed a deal which could be signed at the White House by the end of the week. I hear that he's coming on Friday. Certainly it's okay with me if he'd like to and he would like to sign it together with me and I understand that's a big deal, a very big deal. And I think the American people, even if you look at polling, they're very happy because

you know Biden was throwing money around like it's cotton candy. And it's a very big deal. It could be a trillion-dollar deal. It could be whatever, but it's rare earths and other things. President Trump speaking in Washington yesterday. Under the agreement, a jointly-owned fund will be set up, financed by profits from Ukraine's minerals, oil and gas. Mariana Fakordinova is a Ukrainian researcher at the Center for European Policy Analysis. Ukraine and the US will jointly establish the investment fund for which Ukraine will donate or give 50% of the profits

from the extraction of natural resources. Further, the money from this investment fund will be further invested into Ukraine's reconstruction. So the positive thing from the economic perspective that Ukraine will gain investments from American companies in the extraction of natural resources, which Ukraine was unable to do on itself, and then that those funds will potentially be invested into Ukraine's reconstruction future. Our correspondent in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, James Waterhouse, told me why President Zelensky had now agreed to the deal. The inescapable fact for Ukraine and Europe is that it needs America still. As European

allies look to increase defence spending, as Ukraine tries to portray its vision for a post-ceasefire existence. It still needs America to be there if the fighting was to break out once more, if Russia was to try and invade Ukraine again. And I think that's why we've seen Kiev continue to engage despite the very maximalist openings from Donald Trump in terms of wanting access to $500 billion worth of these natural minerals. What struck me was the reported lack of a security guarantee in return in this agreement,

because this is what President Zelensky has called for for a long time, the idea that America would help prop up Ukraine once the war ends. But I think there's a real hope here that this will pave the way for future cooperation with America after a fortnight where insults have been aimed at Kiev, where there's been a warming between Washington and Moscow. Just maybe this could be the start of Ukraine forging the relationship it needs to survive and exist as a sovereign country, even with Russia continuing to occupy a fifth of it. Yeah, no explicit security guarantees

But President Trump said in return for the deal Ukraine would get the right to fight on what the Ukrainians understand that means It's a contradictory term I think the impression we get here is that this is still part of a broader peace endeavor Donald Trump still wants this war to end quickly He wants to engage with Russia to do that as well Ukraine, and he wants to get some kind of commercial return. He is very much in transaction mode. And I suspect he is referring to military provisions that will be given to Ukraine as part of European peacekeeping forces, for example, to allow a ceasefire to be enforced.

I don't think there is the appetite from either America for this war to drag on, nor Ukraine either, because of course people won't hear one piece. There are growing divisions over mobilization and how soldiers are called up, and of course there's war fatigue. You know, this is what full-scale conflicts do. And Russia's invasion has been full-scale

for more than three years now So I think these forces are driving the parties to an end But for Ukrainians it's about the terms a ceasefire in the eyes of many would not mean peace And if Donald Trump was to rush through an unacceptable peace deal that Ukraine wouldn't accept it would keep fighting But it wouldn't assure its future. James Waterhouse in Kiev. The United Kingdom is one of the biggest foreign aid donors in the world, behind the likes of Germany and the US. But hot on the heels of President Trump's efforts to freeze US development funding,

on Tuesday Britain announced it would slash its aid budget in order to increase defence spending. Now UN aid agencies are sounding the alarm saying the huge cuts pose an existential challenge. I heard more from our correspondent in Geneva Imogen Fokes. I've had response this morning from UN refugees and from the international campaign to ban landmines. That last one has already had to stop programs because of the US cuts. Now landmines are appealing to Britain's traditional generosity in terms of demining, pointing out that it's

such a good investment in terms of returning a country to stability, allowing towns and communities to live again without fear, children to go to school, farmers in particular to plant their crops, trying to remind donors that this kind of humanitarian project is a really good investment. UN Refugees much more tight lipped, but again pointing to Britain's traditional generosity and hoping that some of this will continue. Because these cuts are due to come in over two years, tell us more about the kind of things that

could be affected. I mean it's an incredibly long list. We have for example HIV prevention, some of those programs again because of the US cuts have already been stopped. And one of the really worrying things for the aid agencies, if we just think about the context of the British cuts, is this freeze by the US. Things for example like maternal health clinics in Afghanistan, mine clearance in Colombia, all sorts of different things which are going to stop. And these are, you know, they're not always the programmes which make the news headlines, but they are ones, aid agencies would say, which make a huge difference to people's lives and which also contribute to the security and stability,

which frankly I think we're all longing for at the moment. Other big donors like Germany also cutting back. I mean, how can these aid agencies make the argument that this is a benefit for the whole world in the face of such strong opposition from the new Trump administration? With great, great difficulty and I think we could perhaps put this in a bit of context that these moves to cut aid have been coming really for quite a while in terms of the attitude of the traditional donors to humanitarian aid.

We had the financial crisis way back in 2008 and many countries had austerity, wealthy countries. And voters have just been saying for a long time, why are we spending money overseas when we should be spending it on us? What about my school? What about my hospital? Then we had COVID, which again, exhausted the budgets of many, many governments.

And we have a weariness. There always seems to be a new war and a new crisis. That's the mindset of voters. And of course, that's influencing governments. But aid agencies would say all of this is also an utter failure of international diplomacy, not to solve conflicts or prevent them. That's why we have new ones. Not for example to even agree modest trade rules which might support low-income countries and emerging economies not to tackle climate change, which contributes, we know, to displacement and to hunger.

And that cutting aid funding now, when there's a record number of people in need in the world, will make all those challenges even worse. And although we want to look after ourselves, we can't build walls and moats around our countries anymore. That's not the way the world works. But I'm not sure that those appeals will have any influence whatsoever. Imagine folks. Still to come on the Global News podcast. People would just, you know, flabbergasted that this sort of thing can happen. He did

apologise. I think most people didn't really see that much of an apology. Why an Australian radio host is out of a job. Hello, I'm Katya Adler, host of the Global Story podcast from the BBC. Each weekday, we break down one big news story with fresh perspectives from journalists around the BBC. Each weekday, we break down one big news story with fresh perspectives from journalists around the world. From artificial intelligence to divisive politics tearing our societies apart. From the movements of money and markets

to the human stories that touch our lives, we bring you in-depth insights from across the BBC and beyond. Listen to The Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts. The energy giant BP says it will pump $10 billion a year into boosting oil and gas production while slashing spending on cleaner renewable energy sources. Environmental groups have criticised the sharp reversal of clean energy targets. Here's Leanna Byrne.

BP is making a dramatic U-turn, raising its investment in fossil fuels to $10 billion a year while slashing renewables spending by over $5 billion. Five years ago the company pledged to cut oil and gas production by 40% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. But investor pressure has changed that. BP's chief executive Murray Ockenclus has called the move a fundamental reset to boost profits and shareholder returns. But critics, including some shareholders, warn BP is doubling down on fossil fuels just as governments push for net zero and climate costs soar. For decades, people living with disabilities in Somalia have faced discrimination and isolation.

More than 10% of Somalia's adult population lives with a disability, some injured in attacks by Al-Shabaab militants during decades of civil war. They have struggled to find jobs, access education and participate in politics. However, the new National Disability Protection Law promises to change that by ensuring legal recognition and greater inclusion. Activists say the real challenge now lies in implementation. Our reporter Fardosa Hanshi has just returned from Mogadishu and has this report. I am at a training session focusing on gender-based violence against persons with disabilities.

One of the attendees is Fatma. We have changed her name and voice to protect her identity. She was just seven years old when a routine injection went terribly wrong, leaving her paralysed from the waist down. That moment she sees marked the start of a lifetime of struggle. When I got married, we moved in with my husband's family. His mother used to come to our room every night and take her son to another room, saying that I would transfer my disability to him. They forced us to divorce.

When I gave birth to his child, they came to check whether the child was disabled like me. In Somalia, more than one in ten adults lives with a disability, with the majority being women. The women I spoke to described feeling invisible in a society where deep-rooted cultural beliefs and misconceptions leave them vulnerable to stigma and gender-based violence. Ferdowsa Khalif from the Bright Somali Foundation has been working to change that. The experience in the violence, they have very small access to escape the situation due to lack of awareness or lack of education or not being able to physically remove themselves from the situation.

For decades, disabled people in Somalia have fought for legal recognition. One of the loudest voices has been Mohamed Didier, a visually impaired activist leading the Somali Disability Empowerment Network. Mohammed has spent years campaigning for the National Disability Protection Act, which was finally signed into law in December 2024 by President Hassan Sheikh. I don't think that I'm included in my community. I have not respected my dignity. It will give us an opportunity to overcome the challenges, specifically to have a political representation, to reduce unemployment.

One of the law's key provisions, Article 7, guarantees political representation for persons with disabilities. It also mandates that at least 5% of jobs in both government institutions and private companies be reserved for disabled people. Mohamed Abdul Jama'a is the chairman of the National Disability Agency. I think Somalia's culture is one of the discriminatory cultures in the world. So when it comes to implementing such a law, it's not easy. You said your organization is responsible for the implementation process.

How are you ensuring people with disabilities in Somalia that it's going to be and as soon as possible it will be implemented? Yes, there are three articles in the law that have more urgency. And the first one is the political representation of persons with disabilities. They have an election next year. So in order for people with disabilities to participate in that election, this article must be implemented immediately. Activists like Mohammed know that passing the law was just the first step.

Changing mindsets, breaking down stigma and ensuring real inclusion will take time. But now with the law on their side, they believe they have a fighting chance. Fadho Sahanshi reporting from Somalia. An Australian couple have been recounting their horror at having to sit next to a body on a flight. They described how they ended up sitting near the dead woman for several hours on the Qatar Airways plane. David Lewis is following the story. It was perhaps the most nightmarish start to any dream holiday. Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were mid-air on their way to Venice, Italy. But on the first leg of their journey from Melbourne to Doha,

a fellow passenger suffered a medical emergency. Airplane staff did their best to revive the woman, but were not successful and she died in the aisle beside the couple. Attendants were seemingly unsure of what to do next. Mr Ring told a current affair programme on Channel 9 in Australia what happened next. They went to try and move her. They brought this chair down, which I'd never seen before, but it had just two wheels on the back and they put her in this chair. And they tried to wheel her up towards business class, but she was quite a large lady

and they couldn't get her through the aisle because she's at her height, was at armchair height. So they looked a bit frustrated and then they just looked at me and saw the seats were available beside me. Her wife was on the other side. We were in a row of four by ourselves. And they just said to me, can you move over, please? And I just said yes, no problem. And then they placed the lady in the chair that I was in.

The couple say the deceased woman was covered in blankets and placed next to Mr. Ring for the remainder of the flight, four hours. He says stewards did not offer him the chance to switch seats. His partner, well, she had more luck. I'm not a great flyer at the best of times, but when my husband turned around and said, move, move, we've got to move, I was really shocked. And I said, are they going to put her there?

And luckily a lady behind me on the other aisle, she said, darling, darling, come here, a lovely English lady. And I sat next to her. When the plane landed, Mr. Ring said when medical staff entered the plane and removed the blankets, he then saw the dead lady's face. Well, the airline has now responded. In a statement, Qatar Airways said, first and foremost, our thoughts are with the family of the passenger

who sadly passed away on board our flight. We apologise for any inconvenience or distress this incident may have caused and are in the process of contacting passengers in line with our policies and procedures. David Lewis, staying in Australia, a radio presenter has been taken off air over controversial remarks made on Monday. You know what they remind me of? Year 10 girls.

Now I'm sorry to undermine the whole sport but that's what I think. That was Marty Sheargold with his view of the Australian women's football team who reached the semi-final of the last World Cup. Not content with comparing the Matildas to 15 year olds, he also implied their matches were boring. Our Australia correspondent Katie Watson in Sydney told us more. The whole segment went viral, the idea that you can compare women in the national team with schoolgirls making these comments.

I think people would just flabbergast that this sort of thing can happen. He did apologise, his first apology he said that in any comedy you can miss the mark sometimes. I think most people didn't really see that much of an apology. He has since said that he fully understands the gravity of his comments but the governing body Football Australia they've said that it's deeply disappointed by the comments they diminish the achievements and contributions of the women's national team, they fail to recognise the profound impact they've had on Australian sport and society because of course this is a country that is very proud

of its sports people and the Matildas in the last couple of years have been a real source of pride and inspiration and role models especially for younger women coming through. Katie Watson in Sydney. Finally, The Substance starring Demi Moore is one of the favourites for Best Picture at the Oscars on Sunday. There's been a slight misuse of The Substance. Well, the film depicts a fading celebrity acquiring a black market drug that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself. But things go horribly wrong. If it's named

Best Picture, it would mark the first big win for a horror film since The Silence of the Lambs more than three decades ago. But why are performances in horrors often overlooked by the big awards? Anna Smith is a film critic and host of the Girls on Film podcast. But first we heard from Mark Jenkin, who directed the 2023 horror Ennis Men. It's quite difficult to transcend the horror genre. I think I made a film that may or may not be a horror film, but the horror genre tends to overshadow what the films are actually about. I think the substance is a rare case where it kind of cuts through.

And I think that's why it's getting the recognition. I think it's a fascinating genre. I think there's so much opportunity to explore the human psyche, to play with really interesting ideas, to push boundaries. I mean, of course, there are many, many different types of horror, and there's certain types of horror I don't think you'll ever see nominated for Academy Awards. But this kind, the substance, you know, which really does have a very strong social message,

I think can push through. So I think it is a great genre potentially. I mean, one thing to think about with Academy Awards, I do think there is some prejudice against horror movies. And I think there is perhaps a sense that it's a genre that is quite populist or some people. I mean, when you think about your friends there's always some people that just don't go near horror because they're too scared

or they just don't like the sound of it and I think the same may apply within the academy membership you know it's not for everyone. The substance is a great film I'm so pleased that it's been nominated but it is quite divisive you know everyone has a slightly different take on it. I constantly have conversations with people who say they don't like horror films and then they will say things like that their favourite films The Shining. I remember speaking to somebody who said to me that they didn't like horror but they loved Fire Walk with Me, the David Lynch film, and I said well that's a horror film and they said well no it's a David Lynch film. So another example of transcending the genre. Horror is such a huge

genre. And what's exciting about the substance is I think it's got a broad appeal to substance. But also what is great about the substance getting nominated is it is a body horror, technically, which is traditionally one of the more unpalatable forms of horror. The more palatable forms of horror are I think, are kind of psychological horror, but a body horror to cut through, I think that is a big change. Mark Jenkin and Anna Smith. And that's all from us for now, but the Global News podcast will be back very soon. This edition was mixed by Abby Wiltshire and produced by Tracy Gordon, our editors Karen

Martin. I'm Oliver Conway. Until next time, goodbye. from journalists around the world. From artificial intelligence to divisive politics tearing our societies apart. From the movements of money and markets to the human stories that touch our lives, we bring you in-depth insights from across the BBC and beyond. Listen to The Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts.