Margaret Hassan believed killed.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - British-Iraqi hostage Margaret Hassan has probably been killed by her captors, her family and diplomats have said after a video tape surfaced apparently showing a hooded gunman shooting her in the head.

If confirmed, the murder of Dublin-born Hassan would be the first killing of a foreign woman taken hostage by militants in Iraq.

Prime Minister Tony Blair’s spokesman said: “The prime minister sends his sympathy to the family of Margaret Hassan and shares their abhorrence at the cruel treatment of someone who devoted so many years to help the people of Iraq.”

“It is a cruel irony that Margaret’s captors did not show to her the same humanity and kindness which she demonstrated daily to those around her,” Irish President Mary McAleese said.

Hassan’s husband Tahsin appealed for her kidnappers to hand over her body. “I want to know if she is alive or dead. If she’s dead I want to know where she is so I can bury her in peace,” he told Reuters. “Margaret lived with me for more than 30 years in Iraq and dedicated her life to serving the Iraqi people.”