JERUSALEM, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Israel's attorney general ordered on Thursday a criminal investigation into the allegedly suspicious ties between officials with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and Qatar.

Qatar has played a key role in mediating between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of Israeli hostages. However, Qatar and Israel currently do not have formal diplomatic relations.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara stated in a press release that the investigation would be carried out by the police and the Shin Bet domestic security agency.

The decision to launch the investigation followed a Shin Bet probe into contacts between senior officials in Netanyahu's office and Qatar, as well as concerns over the potential compromise of sensitive information. Baharav-Miara said her decision was based on findings from the probe presented to her at a meeting earlier in the day, which detailed "connections between individuals operating within the Prime Minister's Office and entities linked to the State of Qatar."

The announcement came after a series of investigative reports in local media revealed alleged business ties between Qatar and Netanyahu's advisers Yonatan Urich and Yisrael Einhorn, as well as his former spokesman Eli Feldstein. In November 2024, Feldstein was charged with leaking classified documents to media outlets in the hope of derailing a hostage deal with Hamas. Enditem

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