Two Australians in Syria have been stripped of their citizenship over links to Islamic State, sparking family concerns about the status of their young children.

The stripping of the couple's citizenship has been backdated to 2016 – before the youngest two children were born – leaving the wife and the children stranded in the notorious al-Hawl camp in Syria. The husband is in a Syrian prison.

Islamic State wives and children in the foreign section of al-Hawl camp, Syria, in April 2019. Credit:Kate Geraghty

The Department of Home Affairs says children do not lose their citizenship if their parent loses the right to be an Australian national.

The pair are among 17 people who have lost their rights to be citizens of Australia under laws that allow the government to strip the citizenship of dual nationals.