ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has taken “serious exception” to the use of an image of a hospital in Islamabad by an Israeli politician in a video claiming it to be a “Hamas headquarters,” describing it as a deliberate misrepresentation at worst.

Responding to media queries, Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said: “We have seen the statement by Israel’s former war minister and we believe that it is casual misjudgement at best.”

He said that Pakistan has taken a “serious exception" to the use of an image of a Pakistani hospital by an Israeli politician who in a video claimed it was a Hamas headquarters.

Israeli far-right politician Naftali Bennett and former Israeli minister of defence was embarrassed by social media users when he posted a video on May 20 which also showed an image of Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, claiming that Hamas uses one of Gaza's main hospitals as its headquarters.

A social media user under handle, Chris Hutchinson, pointed out and stated: “Former Israeli defence minister Naftali Bennett shared a video on Facebook purporting to show a photo of Al Shifa hospital in Gaza, which he accuses of ties to Hamas. However, the photo is actually a Google Maps screengrab of Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan.”

“WOW! According to this former Israeli minister Shifa Hospital in Islamabad is Hamas HQ. We should be totally grateful that it was not raised to the ground by Israel in mere ‘self defence’. Hamas has clearly mastered the trick to remain invisible all the time,” said Noreen Haider, a Pakistani writer and a journalist, in a tweet.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021