Almost 50 people have been arrested in Turkey over alleged links to Israeli intelligence.

The Turkish pro-government newspaper Daily Sabah reported on Wednesday that the suspects, all employees of a consultancy firm, were accused of accepting Mossad funds in exchange for spying on Palestinian ex-pats and NGOs. 

Seven of the 44 men arrested in the joint operation of Turkish Police and the National Intelligence Organisation operation have been charged.

They also claim that Turkish authorities are pursuing allegations against 13 other people, including a university lecturer.

On 4 December, Iranian authorities reportedly executed four men convicted for collaborating with the Israeli intelligence agency.

Turkey was the first Muslim-majority nation to recognise Israel in March 1949, but their relationship has historically been rocky, with diplomatic ties only being fully normalised this year.

Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated designated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his election victory and vowed to visit Israel soon.

Relations have thawed in recent months, with Jerusalem and Ankara striking a pact to share intelligence that would permit Israel to monitor Iranian cells across Turkey.