The British Financial Times newspaper said that Israel has borrowed $6 billion in recent weeks through privately negotiated deals to help finance its war on the Gaza Strip.

The newspaper pointed out that Tel Aviv had to pay unusually high borrowing costs to complete these deals.

It quoted investors as saying that the recent bonds were issued under so-called private placements, a process through which the securities are not offered on the public market, but are instead sold to selected investors.

Investors explained that this may be because money for the war effort was raised quickly or without attracting unwanted attention, and could be a sign of how wary some investors have become about buying Israel's debt.