The Ministry of Health updated Monday that it documented 3,446 new COVID-19 cases over the past day.

Of the 47,336 tests done on Sunday, a very high 7.6% returned positive.

990 of the patients hospitalized with Corona are in serious condition, 284 of them are on life support.

Over 3,907,000 Israelis have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, some 42.4% of the population.

5,403 Israelis have died of the virus.

An IDF soldier was lightly injured Friday night while thwarting a drug smuggling operation on Israel’s border with Egypt.

IDF troops operating to thwart a drug smuggling operation on the Egyptian border found themselves in the vicinity of a violent exchange of fire between the smugglers and the Egyptian army.

An IDF vehicle in the area was hit in the shooting. An IDF soldier who was in the vehicle was lightly injured in the hand by shrapnel and was evacuated for medical treatment at a hospital.

Israeli forces periodically clash with smugglers on the border with Egypt, a major smuggling route for drugs, weapons and women into Israel.

Israel in recent years has built a fence along the Egyptian border to block the flow of work migrants coming to the country from Africa through Egypt.

The tall fence has also been helpful in slowing down the prolific smuggling trade from Egypt into Israel, mostly the work of local Bedouin tribes.

Israel celebrated the entry of the United Arab Emirates’ “Hope Probe” into orbit around Mars this week, the first Arab country to make such an achievement.

Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi crowned the event as “historic” for the UAE and “the entire Arab world” and it “carries a message of hope for millions of young Arabs in the region for a prosperous future.”

“This probe may change everything we know about Mars,” he said.

“We in Israel congratulate the UAE for its pursuit of science and knowledge, which is reminiscent of the remarkable achievements of the Arab people in the golden age in the fields of science and mathematics,” he added, wishing “our brothers in the Emirates many more successes and prosperity.”

After entering orbit, the probe will study Mars’ atmosphere and what caused the planet to die.

Over the last 60 years, only six countries have sent missions to the Red Planet.

Israel welcomed on Tuesday Abed al-Rahim Byoud, the Head of Morocco’s new Liaison Office in Israel.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi met with Byoud upon his arrival and wished him success in “his important task of developing cooperation and friendly relations between Morocco and Israel.”

The Moroccan diplomat shared that “he was very happy” when he was notified by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita of his stationing in Israel and that he would work to promote relations between the two countries.

Simultaneously, the head of the Israeli embassy in Rabat David Guvrin met with the Moroccan foreign minister for the first time.

Ashkenazi and his Bourita spoke for the first time several days ago and are in constant contact to continue building the partnership between the countries.

Morocco was the fourth country to announce the establishment of full relations with Israel in five months.

The United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain shortly after it, announced in August the normalization of relations with Israel.

Sudan was next to announce the normalization of relations with Israel in October, Israel’s third peace treaty in two months.

An Israeli Special Force unit arrested on Sunday night in Jenin two Arabs suspected of terrorism.

Shin Bet intelligence led to an operation against two men suspected of terrorist activity located at a house in Jenin.

During the operation, one of the suspects tried to escape from the force and was shot as part of the arrest procedure.

The shot suspect was injured, and a paramedic from the undercover unit provided the suspect with medical treatment on the spot and he was then transferred to the IDF for further medical treatment in stable condition.

The second suspect was taken for questioning by the Shin Bet Security Service.

There are no casualties to our forces.

No further details on the wanted men or the acts of terrorism they are suspected of were provided.