Israel has been gripped by allegations linking aides of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to financing from Qatar, which hosts Hamas leaders and helped broker the release of hostages from Gaza.

Dubbed "Qatargate" by Israeli media, the reports that sparked the investigation claimed that some of the people closest to Netanyahu were recruited to promote the image of Qatar, an enemy state, in Israel.

At least two of Netanyahu's aides are suspected of receiving payments from the Qatari government to promote Doha's interests in Israel.

With the investigation ongoing, some details in the investigation remain unclear.

Allegations of ties between members of Netanyahu's close circle and the Qatari government have swirled in the Israeli press since mid-2024.

The affair ramped up Monday when two aides, one current and one former, were arrested and Netanyahu was called in for questioning in a probe he slammed as a "political witch hunt".

Though the Israeli leader is not a suspect, he is separately on trial over corruption and breach of trust allegations.

"They are holding Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein hostage," Netanyahu said in an angry video post........

© International Business Times