‘Miracle baby’ burned in tent fire beating the odds – but mum says she’s shunned by society

Published

1 year ago

June 23, 2024

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Dalal is the little Syrian girl they never thought would survive.

Now four years old, despite horrific burn scars and no hands she is confounding the doctors, her family and everyone who knows her, all over again.

We watch as she concentrates hard on manoeuvring a pen between the stumps which she’s been left with. It is tough work for the little girl with no fingers.

She’s bent right over the paper she’s working on, trying hard to write her name as well as simple numbers. We notice she can manage to draw outlines which resemble hearts.

This young girl so badly mutilated by fire has a big heart herself despite her physical disadvantages.

Her eyesight’s not brilliant either, with heavy skin scarring all over her face making it hard to open them fully. Dalal’s skull is bald but for tufts of hair at her nape.

But her older sisters, Gazal and Hala, tie the little hair she has into a ponytail like theirs.

Doctors fought for months to save Dalal’s life not really believing they would succeed or she would have the strength for the multiple operations she needed to pull through.

When we first saw her, she was swathed from head to toe in bandages and had many horrific burns.

We first reported on her when she was a baby. Fire had ripped through her family’s tent, which had been pitched in a field in northwest Syria in the middle of the winter of 2021.

Her family had fled their home in Idlib province and were close to the Turkish border – along with tens of thousands of others trying to escape the regime bombing and fighting between Bashar al Assad’s troops, anti-regime groups and other militias.

The winter was bitter and the temperature in their tent near to freezing. There was a fire stove the adults lit to try to keep the family of six small children warm. But somehow the tent caught fire.

Her eldest sister, Yasmin, who was about 10, desperately tried to save Dalal, who was then a baby. But Yasmin was quickly overwhelmed by flames and smoke and could not be resuscitated.

Four of her younger siblings managed to scramble to safety or were helped out, but Dalal was already engulfed in flames. By the time she was pulled out, she was horrifically burned and barely alive.

Turkish authorities gave permission for her to be whisked across the border as a medical emergency and she was raced to Mersin hospital – unaccompanied by any family members at this stage.

A team of doctors and nurses worked tirelessly to save her.

‘Skin black like cole’

Lead surgeon Dr Cagatay Demirci told me then he never believed they’d be able to save her. She was so badly injured; her burns were so deep and she was so young, the challenges seemed insurmountable.

Her skin was “black like coal in many places”, the doctor said.

“Our team went to work on her and did what we could, but we left that night thinking she would not make it through the night,” he said at the time.

“But when we came back in the morning, she was still here, still alive. And we thought okay, this baby wants to live.”

And as she continued to pull through each complex operation – and there have been many – she confounded everybody. They called her the “miracle baby”.

But surgeons couldn’t save her fingers and had to amputate all her digits. Her face was terribly burned, the flames eating away at her eyelids, lips, hair, ears and hair follicles and feet.

Dr Demirci said then: “She will need many, many operations throughout her whole childhood as she grows and develops.”

Sky’s coverage of her astonishing survival was spotted by a single mum in Britain who was so moved by Dalal’s tale of tragedy and endurance, she set up a JustGiving page.

Within a few weeks, Lisa Cavey saw tens of thousands of pounds had been raised which would pay for an entirely new life for Dalal’s family.

First her father, Abdul Fattah, travelled to Turkey and stayed with her for months as she had operation after operation.

When it became apparent her survival depended being out of the Syrian battlefield and remaining in Turkey to receive medical help, the donations ensured passports were organised and funded the rest of the family.

Turkish authorities agreed her heavily pregnant mother and four siblings could join her.

The money helped pay rent for the family, now living as refugees in southern Turkey alongside four million other Syrians who fled the war across the border. It also contributed to medical help – because Dalal is likely to need multiple operations for years to come.

Ms Cavey has been in regular contact with the family ever since. “I cried when I saw the news report about Dalal,” she told me.

“Being a mother myself, I realised that could have been my daughter. They are of a similar age.

“I just felt it was so wrong that this had happened, and the family were in this situation through no fault of their own. I felt compelled to take some action.”

A Turkish-based charity called INARA, set up and run by journalist Arwa Damon, took on Dalal’s case and helped connect her with doctors and physiotherapists who’ve been helping her with her injuries ever since.

“Dalal’s case is exactly why I founded INARA,” she explained.

“To be an organisation that is willing and able to take on complex cases that require critical surgeries over the course of a child’s development,” adds Ms Damon.

“Often, what I saw from my experience in war zones is that these children tend to fall through the cracks in access to medical care or do not receive the many surgeries they need and as such end up relegated to a life in the shadows.

“INARA through its medical and mental health programme basically gives them the ability to see that their life is not over, that they do deserve and can be a part of society, even though it might be hard.”

Brave Dalal ‘not accepted’

But the war in Gaza, as well as the global economic downturn, has seen a depletion of public finances and much aid support for humanitarian groups diverted.

Doctors believe Dalal needs multiple expensive surgeries and are investigating if it’s possible to create fingers for her, perhaps by performing an intricate transplant of some of her toes to her hands.

Nothing has been decided yet as they explore the best options, but any surgery is expensive and Turkish authorities are dealing with inflation at around 70% and a crippling cost of living crisis.

Her mother, Fatima, is praying for more medical treatment for her daughter and describes heartbreaking moments in the playground when other children catch sight of Dalal.

“They scream in fear,” she says. “She is not accepted by the society. That is a fact.” She says she’s struggling to get any school to admit Dalal for the same reason.

Dalal is astonishingly independent, shrugging off help as she pulls on socks herself using her stumps – and climbs up the kitchen doorframe positioning her severed arms to hold herself up.

Each achievement is applauded by her family – but her now five siblings tell us of the hours of frustration, the tears and anger too.

“She cuts salad with us,” her eldest sister Gazal says. “She wants to do everything but she cries and says ‘why don’t I have fingers?'”

Alex Crawford reports from Southern Turkey with cameraman Jake Britton, specialist producer Chris Cunningham and Syria producer Mahmoud Mosa.

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Giving up territory would be ‘unacceptable’, says Ukraine’s armed forces chief

Published

5 hours ago

December 5, 2025

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Giving up territory would be 'unacceptable', says Ukraine's armed forces chief

It would be “unacceptable” for Ukraine to “simply give up territory” in any peace deal with Russia, the head of the Ukrainian armed forces has told Sky News.

General Oleksandr Syrskyi said a “just peace” can only be achieved if fighting is halted along current frontlines and then for negotiations to take place.

Signalling a complete lack of trust in claims by the Kremlin that it wants to end its war, he accused Vladimir Putin of using an attempt by Donald Trump to broker peace talks as “cover” while Russian troops try to capture more land by force on the battlefield.

Ukraine peace talks – latest

The rare intervention offers the clearest indication yet of the Ukrainian military’s red lines as Washington tries to negotiate a settlement that – according to an initial draft – would require Kyiv to surrender the whole of the Donbas region in the east of the country to Moscow.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, backed by the UK and other European allies, has been trying on the diplomatic front to strengthen Ukraine’s position.

But President Putin has said Russia would either seize the Donbas militarily or Ukrainian troops would have to withdraw.

Europe’s fate at stake

Speaking frankly, General Syrskyi, commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Ukraine, signalled that his country’s soldiers would fight on if diplomacy fails – and he warned that the fate of the whole of Europe is at stake.

In an exclusive interview in the basement of a building in eastern Ukraine – the location of which we are not disclosing for security reasons – he said Ukraine’s main mission “is to defend our land, our country, and our population”.

“Naturally, for us it is unacceptable to simply give up territory. What does it even mean – to hand over our land? This is precisely why we are fighting; so we do not give up our territory.”

Many troops have died fighting for Ukraine since Russia first seized the peninsula of Crimea and attacked the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which comprise the Donbas, in 2014.

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians were then mobilised to fight alongside professional soldiers following Putin’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Russia well short of original goal

Nearly four years on, Russia occupies almost a fifth of Ukraine, including large parts of the Donbas, but well short of an original goal of imposing a pro-Kremlin government in Kyiv.

Asked whether the sacrifice of those people who gave their lives defending their country would be in vain if Ukraine is forced to hand over the land it still controls in the Donbas to Moscow, General Syrskyi, speaking in Ukrainian through a translator, said: “You know, I do not even allow myself to consider such a scenario.

“All wars eventually end, and of course we hope ours will end as well. And when it does, a just peace must be established.

“In my understanding, a just peace is peace without preconditions, without giving up territory. It means stopping along the current line of contact.”

The commander then broke into English to say that this means: “Stop. A ceasefire. And after that negotiations, without any conditions.”

Switching back into Ukrainian, he said: “Any other format would be an unjust peace, and for us it is unacceptable.”

Ukraine’s contingency plans

While Ukraine’s will and ability to fight are key in confronting Russia’s much larger army, so too is the supply of weapons, ammunition and other assistance from Kyiv’s allies, most significantly the US.

But, with the White House under Donald Trump, becoming less predictable, the Ukrainian military appears to be considering contingency plans in case US aid stops.

Asked whether Ukraine would be able to continue fighting if President Trump did halt support, General Syrskyi said: “We are very grateful to our American partners and all our allies who have been supporting us throughout this war with weapons and equipment.

“We hope they will continue providing full support. But we also hope that our European partners and allies, if necessary, will be ready to provide everything required for our just war against the aggressor.

“Because right now we are defending not only ourselves, but all of Europe. And it is crucial for all Europeans that we continue doing so, because if we are not here, others will be forced to fight in Europe.”

General’s assessment of fighting on ground

A decorated commander, with the call sign “snow leopard”, General Syrskyi has been conducting combat operations against Russia’s invasion for more than a decade.

He was made military chief in February 2024 after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sacked the previous top commander. General Valerii Zaluzhnyi is now Kyiv’s ambassador to London.

General Syrskyi offered his assessment of the fight on the ground, saying:

• Ukrainian troops still control the northern part of the fortress city of Pokrovsk in the Donbas and will keep battling to retake the rest of it, contrary to Russian claims to have captured what has been a key target for Moscow for the past 16 months.

• Russia is firing between 4,000 to 5,000 one-way attack drones at Ukrainian positions along the frontline every day as well as 1,500 to 2,000 drones that drop bombs. But Ukraine is firing the same volume – and even more – back. “In terms of drones, there is roughly parity. At the moment, we are deploying slightly more FPV [first person view] drones than the Russians.”

• Russia’s armed forces still have double the volume of artillery rounds of Ukraine’s, but the range and lethality of drone warfare mean it is harder to use artillery effectively. Now, 60% of strikes are carried out by drones.

• More than 710,000 Russian soldiers are deployed along a frontline that stretches some 780 miles (1,255km), with the Russian side losing around 1,000 to 1,100 soldiers a day, killed or wounded “and a majority are killed”.

The Russian army is currently “attempting to advance along virtually the entire frontline,” General Syrskyi said.

Where are the harshest battles?

The fiercest battles are around Pokrovsk, as well as the northeastern city of Kupiansk, in Kharkiv region, the Lyman area, also in the Donbas, and near a small city called Huliaipole, in the Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine.

“The Ukrainian army is conducting a strategic defensive operation, aiming to contain the enemy’s advance, prevent them from breaking deeper, inflict maximum losses, and carry out counter-offensive actions in those sectors where we see the enemy is vulnerable,” the commander said.

“Our strategy is to exhaust the Russian army as much as possible, prevent its advance, hold our territory, while simultaneously striking the enemy in the near rear, the operational depth, and… into Russia itself, with the aim of undermining its defence capability and industrial capacity.”

He is referring to a capability Ukraine has developed to launch long-range drones, laden with explosives, deep into Russia to strike military targets as well as oil refineries.

The operation is aimed at destroying fuel for the tanks, warships and jets that are attacking Ukraine and – crucially – reducing oil revenues that help to fund Russia’s war machine.

Sea drones crash into Russia’s warships

The Ukrainian military is also deploying explosive sea drones that are smashed into Russian warships as well as tankers used to transport sanctioned Russian oil.

Asked if his forces were ready – and had sufficient manpower – to keep fighting if necessary, General Syrskyi said: “We have the resources to continue conducting military operations.”

Yet Ukraine is suffering from a shortage of troops on the frontline.

Soldiers and wider society are also exhausted and facing another winter of war.

No sign of Moscow winding down war effort

President Putin has an advantage when it comes to troop numbers and firepower over time, which makes continued support to Kyiv from its allies more vital than ever.

General Syrskyi cautioned that Moscow showed no sign of winding down its war effort despite the Russian leader telling President Trump he is prepared to negotiate.

“So we do everything so that if the enemy continues the war, and you can see that although we want peace, a fair peace, the enemy continues its offensive, using these peace talks as cover,” he said.

“There are no pauses, no delays in their operations. They keep pushing their troops forward to seize as much of our territory as possible under the cover of negotiations.”

He added: “So we are just forced to wage this war… protecting our people, our cities and towns, and our land.”

The commander said this is what motivates his soldiers.

“If we do not do this, we can see clearly what the Russian army leaves behind, only ruins, only deaths.”

As for whether the UK and other European nations should be preparing their people for the possibility of a wider war with Russia, the general said: “Of course, the armed forces of every country ensure reliable protection of their citizens, their children, and their territory.

“With the existence of aggressive states, above all the Russian Federation and its allies, this issue is extremely urgent.

“Everything must be done to ensure the capability to maintain a level of defence, and armed forces modern enough to repel aggression, both individually and in support of the allies.”

World

Major city may have to evacuate as water supplies run low

Published

11 hours ago

December 5, 2025

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Major city may have to evacuate as water supplies run low

Iran’s capital is counting down to “day zero” – the day the water runs out and the taps run dry.

Reservoirs that supply Tehran’s 15 million residents are almost empty.

The Karaj dam, which supplies a quarter of the city’s drinking water, is just 8% full.

Water rationing has begun in some areas, with the flow from taps reduced or even stopped altogether overnight.

President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged people to use water sparingly – or the city, or at least parts of it, may even have to evacuate.

So what’s going on?

Rain should start falling in the autumn after Iran’s hot dry summer.

But according to the country’s National Weather Forecasting Centre, this has been the driest September to November period in half a century, with rainfall 89% below the long-term average.

The combination of low rainfall and high heat has lasted for more than five years, leaving the country parched.

But the weather – and the shadow of climate change – aren’t the only factors in Tehran’s water crisis.

According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, the population of the city has almost doubled from 4.9 million in 1979 to 9.7 million today.

But water consumption has risen even faster, quadrupling from 346 million cubic metres in 1976 to 1.2 billion cubic metres now. Increasing wealth has allowed more people to buy washing machines and dishwashers.

To supplement supplies from reservoirs, Tehran has had to turn to natural aquifers underground, which provide between 30% and 60% of its tap water in recent years.

But that puts the city in direct competition with farmers who draw on the water to irrigate crops.

Levels are falling by 101 million cubic metres a year around Tehran, according to analysis in the journal Science Advances. That’s water that has accumulated from many decades of rain – and will take at least as long to replenish.

Professor Kaveh Madani, the former deputy head of Iran’s environment department and now director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, said chronic mismanagement of natural resources has led to what he calls water bankruptcy.

He told Sky News: “These things were not created overnight.

“They’re the product of decades of bad management, lack of foresight, overreliance and false confidence in how much infrastructure and engineering projects can do in a country that is relatively water short.”

Government ministers blame the water shortage on climate change, water leaks from pipes and the 12-day war with Israel.

Whatever the reason, it underlines the threat of water scarcity to global cities. Tehran is not alone.

Cape Town in South Africa narrowly avoided taps running dry eight years ago after a city-wide effort to save water.

Even London, known for its rain, is at risk. Supplies haven’t kept up with population growth and booming demand.

As Tehran has found, droughts that are being made more likely and more severe with climate change can expose the fragility of water supply.

World

Everything you need to know about World Cup 2026

Published

11 hours ago

December 5, 2025

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Everything you need to know about World Cup 2026

England and other qualified teams are finally set to find out who they’ll be facing in the group stages of the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup today.

It’s guaranteed to be the biggest World Cup ever, with 48 teams competing instead of the usual 32.

Here’s everything you need to know.

When is the World Cup draw?

The draw, which determines which teams face which in the group stages, will take place on in Washington DC from 12pm local time, or 5pm UK time tonight.

US President Donald Trump will join FIFA’s Gianni Infantino at the John F Kennedy Center – a performing arts venue where Mr Trump is chairman – to decide the fixtures.

Due to the increased number of countries taking part in the tournament, the format of the group stages has changed slightly. Instead of 32 teams being divided into eight groups, this year will see 12 groups of four.

The top two teams in each group, plus the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to a round of 32.

For the draw, Spain, Argentina, France and England – the four highest ranked teams – will be placed in the same pot for the draw, and are guaranteed not to meet each other until the semi-finals.

The three host nations are also guaranteed not to meet early, having been put in Pot 1 with the top teams.

The draw seedings are as follows:

Pot 1: Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, United States, Mexico, Canada.

Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia.

Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.

Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand, European playoff winner 1, European playoff winner 2, European playoff winner 3, European playoff winner 4, Intercontinental playoff winner 1, Intercontinental playoff winner 2.

You’ll be able to watch the ceremony via FIFA’s website or YouTube channel, while the BBC and BBC iPlayer will also be showing the draw.

Sky Sports will be offering live coverage of the draw, including analysis and reaction as the groups and fixtures are revealed.

FIFA says the draw is scheduled to take about 45 minutes during a show lasting about an hour and a half.

On 6 December at 5pm UK time, FIFA will put out another broadcast in which it will reveal all match venues and kick-off times.

Could Trump be getting a prize?

In November, FIFA revealed it had created a new worldwide peace prize, and that it would hand it out for the first time during the draw ceremony.

It said it would be given to “individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace” – with no indication that potential recipients were limited to the world of sports.

It has prompted speculation the award will go to Donald Trump, who has long campaigned for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Mr Infantino, who has built up a strong relationship with the US president, backed him for the Nobel prize, writing on Instagram in October that Mr Trump “definitely deserves” the award for his efforts toward a peace deal in Gaza.

The award ultimately went to Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

When asked later if Mr Trump would get FIFA’s award, Mr Infantino laughed and said: “On the 5th of December, you will see.”

When and where is the World Cup?

The tournament runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026 and will be played at 11 sites in America, three in Mexico and two in Canada.

A total of 48 countries will be involved – up from 32 in 2022 – and 104 games will be played overall – up from 64.

The host nations automatically qualify and will play all three of their group stage matches on home soil.

The final will take place at the New York New Jersey (MetLife) Stadium – home of the New York Giants and New York Jets.

All stadiums where games will be played include:

America:
• Atlanta Stadium
• Boston Stadium
• Dallas Stadium
• Houston Stadium
• Kansas City Stadium
• Los Angeles Stadium
• Miami Stadium
• New York New Jersey Stadium
• Philadelphia Stadium
• San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
• Seattle Stadium

Mexico:
• Estadio Azteca Mexico City
• Estadio Guadalajara
• Estadio Monterrey

Canada:
• Toronto Stadium
• BC Place Vancouver Stadium

Trump threatening to change host cities

Despite the stadiums already being selected, Donald Trump has threatened to remove Democrat-run city of Los Angeles from hosting, along with the Boston area.

Boston itself is not a host area, but the home of the NFL’s New England Patriots is being used by FIFA for seven matches, 30 miles away in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

“If we think there’s going to be a sign of any trouble, I would ask Gianni [Infantino] to move that to a different city,” Mr Trump said in November, as protests against his government have taken place in both cities.

FIFA has told Sky News the US government does have the right to determine if cities are safe for the World Cup.

In a statement, FIFA said: “Safety and security are the top priorities at all FIFA events worldwide.

“Safety and security are obviously the governments’ responsibility, and they decide what is in the best interest for public safety.

“We hope every one of our 16 host cities will be ready to successfully host and fulfil all necessary requirements.”

Scott LeTellier, who was managing director of the 1994 World Cup in America, suggested the cities in question shouldn’t worry about Mr Trump’s threats, as changing the stadiums would require “some kind of national emergency that would give the government the authority to cancel an event”.

“I don’t see even a remote chance of that happening,” he said.

What teams could still qualify?

Out of an available 48 spots, 42 teams have already qualified.

The line-up automatically includes the three host nations, America, Mexico and Canada. While 16 of the spots are reserved for European teams – made up of the 12 UEFA qualifying group winners and the other four coming via play-offs.

Remaining qualifying spots are divided between the other confederations:
• CONMEBOL (South America) gets a minimum of six
• CONCACAF (North/Central America and Caribbean) gets a minimum of six
• AFC (Asia) gets eight
• CAF (Africa) gets nine
• OFC (Oceania) is guaranteed one spot.

For the first time since 1998, Scotland have bagged themselves a place through qualifying while Jordan, Curacao, Cape Verde and Uzbekistan will all make their World Cup debuts.

The final slots at the tournament will be decided through play-offs.

On one side, a new inter-confederation tournament will see two teams from CONCACAF and one team each from CONMEBOL, AFC, CAF and OFC to battle it out for two spots in the World Cup.

The six teams that have qualified for these play-offs are: Bolivia, Congo DR, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia and Suriname.

European, or UEFA, play-offs work slightly differently, with 16 teams battling it out for four available spaces.

This tournament is made up of the 12 runners-up from the European Qualifiers groups and the four best-ranked group winners of the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League that did not finish their group stage in first or second place.

On 20 November, a draw to determine who is set to play who in the eight semi-final matches on 26 March 2026 was made by FIFA. The winners will advance to the four final-stage matches on 31 March.

Should Wales and Northern Ireland both win their first-round games, they will then face each other, putting two home nations up against one another.

Will there be a half-time show?

Following in the footsteps of the NFL’s Superbowl, FIFA has confirmed that a half-time show will be performed during the World Cup final on 19 July.

Despite other finals having had musical acts before, this will be the first half-time show.

Earlier this year, FIFA’s Mr Infantino said British band Coldplay is behind the decision-making on multiple artists who will perform – none have been confirmed so far.

Meet the mascots – and the ball

As there are three host nations, this year’s World Cup also comes with three mascots.

Maple the moose, Zayu the jaguar and Clutch the bald eagle will represent host countries Canada, Mexico and America respectively.

Also reflecting the three co-hosts is the official World Cup match ball – Trionda – which means three waves in Spanish.

The ball features a swirled pattern incorporating red, green and blue, with each section representing a host nation.

How much are tickets?

FIFA says the cheapest tickets are from $60 (£45) in the group stage. But the most expensive tickets for the final are $6,730 (£5,094).

Initially, FIFA suggested tickets would be sold using dynamic pricing, meaning fans would pay different prices according to demand.

Variable pricing – fluctuating based on demand – had never been used at a World Cup before, raising concerns about affordability.

FIFA has now backed away from it, saying allocations would be set at a fixed price for the duration of the next ticket sales phase.

How you can get tickets

Tickets for the World Cup have been released in three phases, each with slightly different rules on who can buy the tickets and how.

Phase one was a Visa Presale Draw for people with a valid, unexpired Visa debit card, credit card, or reloadable prepaid card enabled with 3D Secure. This phase has now closed.