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Iraq PM Pays Respects to Hashemi's Family, Calls Him 'Hero'

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi pays his respects to the family of slain scholar and government advisor Hisham al-Hashemi in Baghdad's Zayouna district, hugging his sons | AFP
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi pays his respects to the family of slain scholar and government advisor Hisham al-Hashemi in Baghdad's Zayouna district, hugging his sons | AFP
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Iraq PM Pays Respects to Hashemi's Family, Calls Him 'Hero'

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi pays his respects to the family of slain scholar and government advisor Hisham al-Hashemi in Baghdad's Zayouna district, hugging his sons | AFP
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi pays his respects to the family of slain scholar and government advisor Hisham al-Hashemi in Baghdad's Zayouna district, hugging his sons | AFP

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi paid his respects on Wednesday to the family of slain scholar and government advisor Hisham al-Hashemi, pledging to "avenge" his death.

Hashemi, 47, was a specialist in militant movements and had developed a vast network of top decision-makers, armed groups, and rival parties, often mediating among them.

He was shot dead outside his Baghdad home on Monday night by gunmen on motorcycles, leaving behind a wife, three sons, and a daughter.

On Wednesday, Kadhimi paid his respects to the family, calling Hashemi -- a personal friend and advisor -- a "hero".

"Those afraid of a word can only be described as cowards. Hisham did nothing but try to help Iraqis through his words," said Kadhimi, hugging the deceased's tearful three sons Issa, Moussa, and Ahmed.

Their names translate in Arabic to Jesus, Moses, and another name for the Prophet Mohammed.

The three boys had rushed outside their home on Monday after hearing gunshots and helped neighbors pull their father's bullet-riddled body from his car.

"This behavior is not Iraqi. Iraqis don't kill Iraqis," Kadhimi said.

"I will avenge him, and God willing his killers will not go free. I am your brother, and Issa, Moussa, and Ahmed are my children," the premier told Hashemi's widow.

"This is my duty and the state's duty," he added.

Hashemi was a renowned researcher on the Islamic State group and had more recently become outspoken against rogue armed actors in Iraq.

He was no stranger to intimidation efforts, but those close to him told AFP he had received more serious threats from Iran-backed groups in recent weeks.

Experts have voiced fear that Hashemi's killing would usher in a dark era in which prominent voices critical of political parties and armed groups would be violently silenced.

Already, there has been no accountability for more than 550 people killed in protest-related violence since October, when mass rallies slammed Iraq's government as corrupt, inept, and beholden to neighboring Iran.

Among them are around two dozen activists who were shot dead, often by masked assailants on motorcycles.

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Israeli Military Changes Initial Account of Gaza Aid Worker Killings

Palestinians mourn medics, who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission, after their bodies were recovered, according to the Red Crescent, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians mourn medics, who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission, after their bodies were recovered, according to the Red Crescent, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
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Israeli Military Changes Initial Account of Gaza Aid Worker Killings

Palestinians mourn medics, who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission, after their bodies were recovered, according to the Red Crescent, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians mourn medics, who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission, after their bodies were recovered, according to the Red Crescent, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 31, 2025. (Reuters)

The Israeli military has provided new details that changed its initial account of the killing of 15 emergency workers near the southern Gaza city of Rafah last month but said investigators were still examining the evidence.

The 15 paramedics and emergency responders were shot dead on March 23 and buried in a shallow grave where their bodies were found a week later by officials from the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent. Another man is still missing.

The military initially said soldiers had opened fire on vehicles that approached their position "suspiciously" in the dark without lights or markings. It said they killed nine fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad who were travelling in Palestinian Red Crescent vehicles.

But video recovered from the mobile phone of one of the dead men and published by the Palestinian Red Crescent showed emergency workers in their uniforms and clearly marked ambulances and fire trucks, with their lights on, being fired on by soldiers.

The only known survivor of the incident, Palestinian Red Crescent paramedic Munther Abed, also said he had seen soldiers opening fire on clearly marked emergency response vehicles.

An Israeli military official said late on Saturday the investigators were examining the video and conclusions were expected to be presented to army commanders on Sunday.

Israeli media briefed by the military reported that troops had identified at least six of the 15 dead as members of the groups. However, the official declined to provide any evidence or detail of how the identifications were made, saying he did not want to share classified information.

"According to our information, there were terrorists there but this investigation is not over," he told reporters at the briefing late on Saturday.

The UN and the Palestinian Red Cross have demanded an independent inquiry into the killing of the paramedics.

Red Crescent officials have said 17 paramedics and emergency workers from the Red Crescent, the Civil Emergency service and the UN had been dispatched to respond to reports of injuries from Israeli air strikes.

Apart from Abed, who was detained for several hours before being released, another worker is still missing.

OPENED FIRE

The military official said initial findings from the investigation showed troops had opened fire on a vehicle at around 4 a.m., killing two members of the Hamas internal security forces, and taking another prisoner, who the official said had admitted under interrogation to being in Hamas.

As time passed, several vehicles passed along the road until, at around 6 a.m., he said troops received word from aerial surveillance that a suspicious group of vehicles was approaching.

"They feel this is another incident like what happened at 4 a.m. and they opened fire," the official said.

He said aerial surveillance footage showed the troops were at some distance when they opened fire, and he denied reports that the troops handcuffed at least some of the paramedics and shot them at close range.

"It's not from close. They opened fire from afar," he said. "There's no mistreatment of the people there."

He said the soldiers had approached the group they had shot, identifying at least some of them as fighters. However, he did not explain what evidence had prompted the assessment.

"And in their eyes, they had an encounter with terrorists, that is a successful encounter with terrorists."

He said the troops had informed the UN of the incident on the same day and initially covered the bodies with camouflage netting until they could be recovered. UN officials did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

"There was no incident where the Israeli army tried to cover up. On the contrary, they called the UN immediately."

Later, when the UN did not immediately come to take the bodies, the soldiers covered them with sand to stop animals from getting at them, the official said.

He said the vehicles were pushed out of the way by a heavy engineering vehicle to clear the road but he could not explain why the vehicles were crushed by the engineering vehicle and then buried.