Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray MP Sanjay Raut has said a post on his X handle in connection with Israel had a reference to German dictator Adolf Hitler, but he did not intend to hurt the sentiments of people of Israel.

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Raut said the Israel embassy has sent a letter following his old post as someone might have told them to oppose him.

The post has since been deleted from his handle on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Referring to the post, the Rajya Sabha member on Saturday said, "My tweet about Israel was an old one. It had a reference to Hitler, but I had no intention of hurting the sentiments of Israel. I have even deleted that tweet."

"I had even criticised the kind of attack Hamas initiated against Israel," he said.

Further referring to the attack initiated on Gaza-based hospitals where some children lost their lives, Raut said children should be kept out of war.

"I had said this is inhuman. You are not showing humanity, so may be in the past a leader might have opposed you, that is what I said. After a month, the Israeli high commission has written a letter. Someone might have told them, this is Sanjay Raut, oppose him," the Sena-UBT leader added.   -- PTI