At least 30 children, most of them British, are feared to have been conceived by IVF treatment in northern Cyprus using the wrong sperm or egg donors.

In each case, the parents suspect they did not get the donors they had selected.

The figure is one of several new findings in a BBC investigation that, earlier this year, uncovered the first seven cases.

All the parents say they carefully selected anonymous donors based on information such as their medical history, appearance, personality, education and hobbies.

However, they have concerns the requested sperm and egg donors may not have been used in their fertility treatments.

Half of the 30 children were born from procedures at one clinic, Dogus IVF Centre.

“It’s absolutely scandalous,” said one of the mothers, Rachel, who recently learned that she received the wrong sperm donor from the clinic.

Three people – Dr Firdevs Uguz Tip, Dr Sevket Alpturk, and a patient co-ordinator Julie Hodson – were involved in the care of many of these patients at Dogus.

Parents suspect these members of staff may have misled them. Firdevs denies any wrongdoing and neither Alpturk or Hodson have responded to our questions.

The BBC has also now learnt that the world’s largest sperm bank, Cryos International, has blacklisted Dogus clinic since 2016.

In northern Cyprus – a territory where European Union laws do not apply and which is only legally recognised by Turkey – clinics are loosely regulated and promise patients low prices, high success rates and a wide choice of sperm and egg donors.

The Turkish-occupied territory is one of the most popular destinations for British people seeking fertility treatment abroad.

We first revealed the emerging scandal in March where a small group of parents appeared to have been misled about donors.

Responding to the allegations, the territory’s Ministry of Health said it had launched an official investigation. However, it has not responded to our repeated requests for more information.

Since then, more parents have contacted us and their stories have concerning similarities.

The majority said the clinics they had used had promised them screened, healthy donors from Western Europe, but that they had become suspicious after their children were born.

Eleven of the 30 children have now taken commercial DNA tests which show they have inherited genetic ancestry from Turkey or surrounding countries.

This suggests their parents’ requested donors were not used.

The majority of the children who have done DNA tests were conceived through IVF between 2012 and 2024 at Dogus clinic.

Families have been left with questions about who their children’s real donors are and their medical histories.

“These reports are deeply troubling,” said Laura Bridgens, founder of the charity Donor Conceived UK. “It’s a fundamental human right for a donor-conceived person to know the truth about their origins.”

In the past few days, the UK’s Foreign Office has also updated its travel advice warning that fertility treatment in northern Cyprus “carries risks” due to a lack of regulation and it encourages those seeking IVF in the territory to conduct thorough research beforehand.

Now eight months pregnant and sheltering in a makeshift camp, the mother of three said her biggest fear isn’t the biting cold – it’s what will happen if she goes into labour. 

“I worry about my health, but I worry more about where to go if something happens,” said Fatima. “Displacement is not just losing your home. It’s losing your privacy, your safety and access to healthcare, especially as a woman.” 

Every step we took felt like it could be our last

She is one of tens of thousands of women and girls affected by the uptick in violence and insecurity around Aleppo in the past few weeks, which has forced large numbers to flee, disrupted essential services and shut down hospitals. 

“We fled under bombardment, with nothing but our fear,” Farida, 39, told the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which is the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency. 

“Every step we took felt like it could be our last.”

Unbearable cold 

In Aleppo, some 58,000 are still displaced following recent clashes between the transitional Government’s security forces and the mostly-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with insecurity spreading to surrounding areas. 

To make matters worse, winter conditions have only deepened the suffering: thousands are now enduring freezing temperatures, sheltering in makeshift camps, former schools and unfinished buildings across the country. 

Ruhan, a mother of three from Aleppo, fled with only what she could carry. 

 “The cold is unbearable. My biggest fear is keeping my children warm and safe,” she told UNFPA aid workers, who provided her with reproductive health services, counselling and a dignity kit. 

Delivering aid 

More than 890,000 people had been newly displaced as of December 2025 in Syria, adding to almost seven million already displaced inside the country. 

Fourteen years of conflict, climate shocks, and economic decline have left Syria’s recovery fragile and uneven, with immense humanitarian needs and severely damaged healthcare systems.

In response, UNFPA and its partners have sent mobile health teams to reach displaced communities with life-saving sexual and reproductive healthcare, dignity kits with essential hygiene items, and psychosocial counselling. 

Around 400,000 pregnant women in Syria are struggling to access essential maternity services – a situation worsened by deep funding cuts which began last year that have further restricted access.

Head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that first responders from the UN agency were already “on the ground” to support care for the injured.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) also highlighted its support for affected communities and the emergency response as needs appraisals began.

Reports indicate that the earthquake struck near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif at around 1am local time, causing buildings to collapse on those sleeping inside. 

Footage posted on social media from the city’s Shrine of Hazrat Ali – also known as the Blue Mosque – showed people stepping around rubble on the ground of the site revered by Shiah Muslims.

Although people have been reported killed in the worst-hit mountainous province of Samangan, initial assessments carried out from the air indicated fewer signs of damage than at first feared. 

The UN flyover, conducted with the help of the Swiss authorities, also showed no signs of mass displacement that might have been expected had the earthquake been more destructive.

“We went over the main populated areas where the most settlements are in the earthquake affected area. 

“Thankfully, we saw very little widespread devastation…compared to the devastating scenes we saw in Kunar just a few weeks ago,” said Richard Trenchard, the UN’s acting Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan.

Still reeling from Kunar quake

The new crisis follows a magnitude 6.0 earthquake on 31 August that swept away thousands of houses and vital infrastructure in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province. The disaster uprooted hundreds of thousands of people and left half a million requiring urgent medical assistance.

“What began as an acute emergency has now evolved into a displacement crisis, where families endure extended stays in temporary settlements amid escalating health risks,” WHO said.

In addition to a lack of access to safe drinking water for displaced families, the UN agency warned of widespread open defecation and poor access to health services for women in particular, owing to “the absence of female staff and the lack of privacy”.

Maternal and newborn health needs remain critical for those impacted by the August quake amid deep funding cuts for aid work, WHO noted, in addition to immunization, noncommunicable disease case management and mental health and psychosocial support.

On the ground in Afghanistan, UN agencies and partners say that collaboration and local leadership will be crucial to boost the recovery response.

Efforts are underway to pre-position supplies, mobilize surveillance teams to prevent disease outbreaks and prepare damaged hospitals to resume operations. 

The surge in displacement in late September marks a turning point in the conflict – now entering its eighth year – with more than 100,000 people already uprooted during 2025.

The violence in Cabo Delgado began in 2017, led by armed groups locally known as al-Shabaab – unrelated to the Somali Islamist militia of the same name. The conflict has evolved into a complex crisis compounded by the effects of repeated cyclones, floods and drought that have devastated livelihoods.

For the first time since hostilities began, all 17 districts of Cabo Delgado have been directly affected, and more than 1.3 million people have been displaced – many multiple times.

“Families are reaching their limit,” Xavier Creach, head of UNHCR in Mozambique said, noting that some who once hosted the displaced are now fleeing themselves.

Civilians continue to be targeted amid reports of killings, abductions and sexual violence, while children face the risk of forced recruitment.

Women and girls most at risk

Women and girls are especially vulnerable when collecting water or firewood, and those with disabilities or older persons often cannot flee the violence. Many are traumatised and urgently need psychosocial support, Mr. Créach added.

The violence has sharply intensified this year, with more than 500 incidents recorded through August – surpassing even the peaks of 2022 – including raids, abductions and the destruction of homes and infrastructure.

Health system under siege

The humanitarian fallout has been compounded by the collapse of health services across the north.

According to the World Health Organization-led response, around 60 per cent of facilities in the worst-affected districts are non-functional due to insecurity, looting and staff displacement.

Essential services such as maternity care, HIV treatment and emergency response have been severely disrupted.

In Mocímboa da Praia, the only hospital is operating with less than 10 per cent of its staff – mostly volunteers struggling to keep the emergency room and maternity ward open.

Aid groups warn that disease risks are mounting, with malaria and cholera cases expected to rise as the rainy season begins.

Severe funding shortfall

The health sector’s annual response plan is only 11 per cent funded for this year, leaving stocks of essential medicines critically low.

UNHCR also faces severe funding shortfalls. It has received only $66 million of the $352 million required for its Mozambique operations this year, leaving response capacity “stretched just as needs rise.”

The displacement is the latest consequence of a cascade of overlapping emergencies in the country – including armed violence, climate shocks, disease outbreaks and a severe funding shortfall. Since January, over 95,000 people have fled insecurity in Cabo Delgado and humanitarian access is becoming increasingly fragile.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), attacks by armed groups between 20 and 28 July triggered the displacement of at least 46,667 people across the districts of Chiúre, Ancuabe and Muidumbe.

Chiúre was the hardest hit, with more than 42,000 people uprooted – over half of them children.

“Insecurity persists, and people on the move often lack civil documentation,” OCHA said in a humanitarian bulletin on Saturday. “These challenges may impact the ability of displaced people to move freely, safely access basic services and maintain their livelihoods.”

Children separated from families

Attacks in Chiúre Velho, Ocua and Mazeze have driven families to Chiúre Sede, where they are sheltering in overcrowded conditions in the neighbourhoods of Bairro Micone and Bairro Namicir. Reports indicate a high number of unaccompanied or separated children.

Food, shelter and essential non-food items are reported as the most urgent needs, according to humanitarian partners.

The security situation in Ancuabe district also deteriorated rapidly. According to the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM), the number of displaced families nearly tripled in one week, reaching 444 households (1,946 people), including over 1,200 children. The violence forced residents of Nanduli village to seek refuge in Chiote and Ancuabe Sede.

In Muidumbe, fighters reportedly torched homes in Magaia village and opened fire near Mungue. Nearly 500 families fled to nearby displacement sites, where humanitarian access remains limited.

Protection concerns, limited funding

OCHA stressed that under international law, civilians must be allowed to seek safety and freely choose their destination. But insecurity, lack of documentation and involuntary relocations are compounding protection risks.

At the same time, the aid response remains severely underfunded.

As of July, only 19 per cent of Mozambique’s 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan has been funded. Of the $352 million requested, just $66 million has been received – forcing agencies to reduce their response targets by over 70 per cent. They now aim to assist only 317,000 people, down from the target of 1.1 million at the start of the year.

“Urgent and sustained funding is essential to prevent further deterioration and address the escalating humanitarian needs that remain as acute and widespread as ever,” the OCHA report warned.

Three days after Spain’s national weather service confirmed a record 46°C reading in the southern town of El Granado, there’s been little let-up in stifling day and night temperatures across the continent and beyond.

In Barcelona, a road sweeper reportedly died on Saturday after completing her shift, prompting an investigation and widespread public appeals to keep out of the sun wherever possible.

“Everybody is at risk,” insisted Clare Nullis, spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO): “If you go out without water in the middle of the day, to do jogging, have a bike ride, you will probably have health problems or even die.”

Fossil fuel factor

If part of the reason for Europe’s heat misery is because it is in the grip of a strong high-pressure weather front trapping hot air from northern Africa, Ms. Nullis noted that “human-induced climate change” is the source of these acute weather events.

Another part of the climate puzzle is that sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean are exceptionally high for this time of year. “It’s the equivalent of a land heatwave”, the WMO spokesperson said.

“Extreme heat creeps up on you,” she added, while dangerously warm conditions are becoming “more frequent, more intense” because of global warming caused by burning fossil fuels.

“It’s something we have to learn to live with,” Ms. Nullis maintained, highlighting the importance of early warnings from national meteorological and hydrological services to prevent more deaths from extreme heat events – which are often “under-reflected” in official statistics.

Hot days – and nights

According to the UN agency, night-time minimum temperatures and daytime maximum temperatures broke monthly station records for June in parts of Western and Southwestern Europe, partly explaining why the heatwave is so draining.

“The frequency and intensity of extreme heat events is increasing in Europe and by 2050 about half the European population may be exposed to high or very high risk of heat stress during summer,” Ms. Nullis explained.

“What is exceptional – and I would stress exceptional but not unprecedented – is the time of year. We are 1 July, and we are seeing episodes of extreme heat which normally we would see later on.”

WMO insisted that warnings from national weather services and coordinated heat-health action plans are increasingly important to protect public safety and wellbeing.

The UN agency is promoting these efforts through its Early Warnings for All platform.

A key component is the WMO Coordination Mechanism (WCM) which supports crisis-prone and conflict-affected regions with advice. WMO curates authoritative weather, climate and water information from countries such as its WCM Global Hydromet Weekly Scan. 

Israel has ordered Palestinians to evacuate from parts of northern Gaza ahead of increased military action, as US President Donald Trump pushes for a ceasefire deal.

People in neighbourhoods across Gaza City and Jabalia have been told to move south towards the coastal area of al-Mawasi as Israeli military operations “intensify and expand westward”.

At least 86 people were killed as the result of Israeli attacks in the 24 hours before midday on Sunday, the Hamas-run health ministry said.

Three children were among those killed in a strike on the so-called “safe zone” of al-Mawasi, their parents said.

Trump has reiterated calls to “make the deal in Gaza” and “get the hostages back”.

On Saturday, Trump had said on Truth Social that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in the process of negotiating a deal with Hamas “right now”.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Avichay Adraee said on Sunday that the Israeli military was operating in north Gaza “to eliminate terrorists and terrorist infrastructure”.

Medics and residents told Reuters that military bombardments increased in Gaza in the early hours of Sunday, destroying several houses.

Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence agency told news outlets that at least 23 people had been killed on Sunday alone.

Medics said five people were killed in an Israeli air strike on a tent housing displaced people in al-Mawasi near the southern city of Khan Younis – an area where people in the north had been told to evacuate to.

Five members of the Maarouf family, including three children, were killed.

“They bombed us while we were sleeping on the ground,” their mother Iman Abu Maarouf said. “We didn’t do anything wrong. My children were killed, and the rest are in intensive care.”

Their father Zeyad Abu Maarouf told Reuters that the family had arrived in the “safe zone” a month ago after Israel told them to go to al-Mawasi.

When asked about the incident, the IDF told the BBC it could not provide a specific response without more information, but said it “follows international law and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm”.

Also on Sunday, a 20-year-old IDF soldier, Sergeant Yisrael Natan Rosenfeld, was killed in northern Gaza.

The increased Israeli military action comes as mediators begin new efforts to end the war and release the remaining hostages held by Hamas.

On Thursday, a senior Hamas official told the BBC mediators have intensified their efforts to broker a new ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, but that negotiations with Israel remain stalled.

Qatari mediators have said they hope US pressure could help to achieve a deal, following a truce between Israel and Iran that ended the 12-day conflict between the countries.

On Sunday, Netanyahu told members of Israel’s domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet that “victory” over Iran opened up many possibilities, “first and foremost, to rescue the hostages”.

“Of course, we will also need to resolve the issue of Gaza, to defeat Hamas, but I believe we will achieve both missions. Beyond that, broad regional opportunities are opening up, in most of which – almost all – you are partners,” he said.

Trump previously said he was hopeful a ceasefire in Gaza could be agreed in the next week.

In March, a two-month ceasefire collapsed when Israel launched fresh strikes on Gaza. It said it wanted to put pressure on Hamas to release its hostages.

Israel also imposed a total blockade on humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza at the start of March, which it partially eased after 11 weeks following pressure from US allies and warnings from global experts that half a million people were facing starvation.

That partial easing included the creation of a US and Israeli-backed aid group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), after Israel accused Hamas of stealing aid. Hamas has denied this.

GHF’s aid system has been condemned by UN agencies. There have been repeated incidents of killings and injuries of Palestinians seeking aid.

Juliette Touma, communications director for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, told the BBC that the new mechanism was “a killing field”. She said the distribution of aid in an orderly way could only be done through the UN and other humanitarian organisations.

GHF boss Johnnie Moore previously told the BBC World Service’s Newshour he did not deny deaths near aid sites, but said “100% of those casualties are being attributed to close proximity to GHF” and that was “not true”.

The previous ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas – which started on 19 January – was set up to have three stages, but did not make it past the first stage.

Stage two included establishing a permanent ceasefire, the return of remaining living hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

Trump has called for ongoing corruption charges against Netanyahu to be dropped, describing proceedings as a “political witch hunt” delaying ceasefire negotiations.

On Sunday, an Israeli court accepted a request by the Israeli prime minister to delay his scheduled testimony for a week, due to diplomatic and security issues.

Netanyahu was charged in 2019 with bribery, fraud and breach of trust, all of which he denies.

Earlier in the week, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said Trump should not “intervene in a legal process of an independent state”.

Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Since then, 56,500 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

BBC

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