OUTSIDE BAGHOUZ, Syria: The newborn son of UK-born teenager Shamima Begum who left her London home to join the Daesh group in Syria died Friday in a refugee camp, an official said.
Mustafa Bali, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, confirmed that the infant died at a camp in north Syria. He didn’t provide further details.
In a day of conflicting reports about the baby’s fate, lawyer Tasnime Akunjee tweeted that he had “strong but as yet unconfirmed reports that Shamima Begum’s son has died. He was a British citizen.” He declined to provide further details.
Then, Bali tweeted that the reports were “fake” and the baby “is alive and healthy.” But he later deleted the tweet without explanation, and shortly after confirmed the baby’s death.
The British government couldn’t confirm the reports.
Begum was 15 when she and two friends left London to marry Daesh fighters in Syria in 2015, at a time when the group’s online recruitment program lured many impressionable young people to its self-proclaimed caliphate.
Begum recently resurfaced in a refugee camp, and gave birth last month.
Begum, now 19, told journalists that she wanted to raise her son in Britain, but the government revoked her citizenship. Begum told reporters that she had lost two other children to malnutrition and disease.
Her Dutch militant husband Yago Riedijk, who is in a Kurdish-run detention center, said last week that he wanted to return to the Netherlands with Begum and their son.
British Home Secretary Sajid Javid said last month he had revoked Begum’s citizenship — even while saying he wouldn’t make a decision that would render a person stateless. Javid also confirmed that Begum’s son was a British citizen, though he said it would be “incredibly difficult” to facilitate the return of a child from Syria.
Begum’s parents are from Bangladesh but her family says she isn’t a dual citizen. The family has said it plans to challenge Javid’s decision.
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Official: Baby of British Daesh bride dies in Syria
Official: Baby of British Daesh bride dies in Syria
- A Syrian Democratic Forces official confirmed that the infant died at a camp in north Syria
- Begum was 15 when she and two friends left London to marry Daesh fighters in Syria in 2015
Israel warns will suspend several aid groups from Gaza
- Ministry says organizations that failed to submit list of Palestinian employees have been told their licenses will be revoked from January 1
JERUSALEM: Israel warned on Tuesday that it would suspend from January several aid organizations operating in Gaza for failing to provide details about their Palestinian staff, accusing two Doctors Without Borders employees of links to militant groups.
The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said in a statement the move was part of Israel’s decision to “strengthen and update” regulations governing the activities of international NGOs in the Palestinian territory.
“Humanitarian organizations that fail to meet security and transparency requirements will have their licenses suspended,” the ministry said.
It added that organizations which “failed to cooperate and refused to submit a list of their Palestinian employees in order to rule out any links to terrorism” had received formal notice that their licenses would be revoked as of January 1.
The organizations concerned — whose names were not disclosed — were ordered to cease all activities by March 1.
The ministry said the groups were given 10 months to provide the requested information but “nonetheless failed to comply with the requirements.”
The ministry told AFP earlier this month that as of November 25, approximately 100 registration requests had been submitted and “only 14 organization requests have been rejected.”
“The remainder have been approved or are currently under review,” it added.
In its statement on Tuesday, the ministry alleged after an investigation that the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) had employed two individuals with links to Palestinian militant groups.
“In June 2024, a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad was identified as an employee of the organization,” it said.
“In September 2024, another MSF employee was identified as a Hamas sniper.
“Despite repeated requests, the organization did not provide full disclosure regarding the identities and roles of these individuals,” the statement added.
When contacted, MSF said it “would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity.”
“Any employee who engages in military activity would pose a danger to our staff and our patients.”
The ministry’s statement did not say whether MSF’s license had been revoked.
“In terms of registration, MSF continues to engage and discuss with Israeli authorities,” the charity said. “We have not yet received a decision on re-registration.”
The ministry said its latest measures would not affect the delivery of aid to Gaza.
“Only a limited number of organizations — less than 15 percent — were found to be in violation of the regulatory framework,” it said.
Several NGOs have told AFP the new rules will have a major impact on aid distribution in Gaza.
The amount of aid entering Gaza remains inadequate.
While the October 10 ceasefire agreement stipulated the entry of 600 trucks per day, only 100 to 300 are carrying humanitarian aid, according to NGOs and the United Nations.
The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said in a statement the move was part of Israel’s decision to “strengthen and update” regulations governing the activities of international NGOs in the Palestinian territory.
“Humanitarian organizations that fail to meet security and transparency requirements will have their licenses suspended,” the ministry said.
It added that organizations which “failed to cooperate and refused to submit a list of their Palestinian employees in order to rule out any links to terrorism” had received formal notice that their licenses would be revoked as of January 1.
The organizations concerned — whose names were not disclosed — were ordered to cease all activities by March 1.
The ministry said the groups were given 10 months to provide the requested information but “nonetheless failed to comply with the requirements.”
The ministry told AFP earlier this month that as of November 25, approximately 100 registration requests had been submitted and “only 14 organization requests have been rejected.”
“The remainder have been approved or are currently under review,” it added.
In its statement on Tuesday, the ministry alleged after an investigation that the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) had employed two individuals with links to Palestinian militant groups.
“In June 2024, a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad was identified as an employee of the organization,” it said.
“In September 2024, another MSF employee was identified as a Hamas sniper.
“Despite repeated requests, the organization did not provide full disclosure regarding the identities and roles of these individuals,” the statement added.
When contacted, MSF said it “would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity.”
“Any employee who engages in military activity would pose a danger to our staff and our patients.”
The ministry’s statement did not say whether MSF’s license had been revoked.
“In terms of registration, MSF continues to engage and discuss with Israeli authorities,” the charity said. “We have not yet received a decision on re-registration.”
The ministry said its latest measures would not affect the delivery of aid to Gaza.
“Only a limited number of organizations — less than 15 percent — were found to be in violation of the regulatory framework,” it said.
Several NGOs have told AFP the new rules will have a major impact on aid distribution in Gaza.
The amount of aid entering Gaza remains inadequate.
While the October 10 ceasefire agreement stipulated the entry of 600 trucks per day, only 100 to 300 are carrying humanitarian aid, according to NGOs and the United Nations.
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