Israeli police have detained two top aides to prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and summoned him for questioning after increasing allegations that his inner circle was involved in transferring money from Qatar.

Netanyahu left his corruption trial at a Tel Aviv court abruptly on Monday to give evidence in a separate investigation into possible ties between his aides and Qatar.

Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein, Netanyahu’s senior staffers, were arrested earlier on Monday over the alleged unlawful financial ties with Qatar.

Netanyahu's testimony would be given as someone with knowledge of the affair

The probe was launched following revelations that Netanyahu’s former spokesman Feldstein worked for Qatar via an international firm contracted by Doha to feed Israeli journalists pro-Qatar stories.

According to Haaretz newspaper, the aides are suspected of having orchestrated or been involved in a campaign to improve Qatar's image abroad.