The Border Police unveiled on Tuesday a new national undercover unit, christened “Sinai,” which will combat crime in the Arab-Israeli sector.

The Border Police held a ceremony to launch the new undercover unit whose main purpose is activity against crime gangs throughout the country, dealing with riots with advanced capabilities, and fighting terrorism.

In March 2021, Commissioner of Police Yaakov Shabtai decided to establish another undercover unit that will operate against serious crime and terrorism among Arabs with Israeli citizenship.

The Special Forces troops underwent unique training to provide them with tools to deal with the great challenges they will face on the ground.

Shabtai stated that the new unit will “bring to the battle the highest operational capabilities the police have to offer. Unique technology and weapons alongside creativity, operational flight, and quality manpower that will be directed to what I have defined as a mission of national importance.”

“We will restore security to the Arab localities. It is a process that the police will lead on all levels including aggressive economic enforcement activities that will make it clear to criminals that the harm will also be severe to their pocket. Together we will succeed,” he declared.

Arab-Israeli society is plagued with daily incidents of violence. Over 110 Arabs were killed in criminal violence in 2020, and 82 have been murdered so far in 2021.

The police increased its activity against the plague of shootings and weapons offenses in recent years, and in 2020 arrested 5,713 suspects in shootings and other weapons crimes throughout the country, an increase of 22% compared to 2019.

The vast majority of police activity was carried out in the Arab sector, and about 90% of the suspects arrested for shooting and weapons offenses were Arab Israelis.

Khaled Al Jalahma, Bahrain’s first ambassador to the Jewish state, arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday to begin his tenure.

“You are most welcome to Israel, Ambassador Al Jalahma. We are looking forward to what will no doubt be a very productive tenure, advancing relations between our two countries,” stated Alon Ushpiz, director-general of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Al-Jalahma has been the Director of Operations of the Bahraini Foreign Office since 2017 and served as Deputy Ambassador of Bahrain to the US from 2009 to 2013.

The Israeli embassy in Manama, Bahrain, has been active since January and is headed by Israeli Chargé d’Affaires Itay Tagner.

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed a historic peace agreement with Israel at the White House on September 15, the first agreement to be signed between Israel and an Arab country in 25 years.

The UAE was the first major Arab state to recognize Israel since the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty was signed in October 1994.

Announced on August 13, 2020, the Abraham Accords is the first between a Gulf state and Israel and is expected to lead to similar agreements with other Arab countries, possibly Oman or Saudi Arabia.

Israel and Sudan announced the normalization of ties in October 2020. Morocco joined the Abraham Accords in December 2020.

Several hundred Gazans rioted on the border with Israel on Sunday night, in an attempt to exert pressure on Israel.

The so-called harassment units rioted, set off explosive charges, and made noise through loudspeakers, disturbing Israeli communities in the area.

The IDF responded with crowd dispersal means and tear gas.

The IDF did not respond with an aerial strike, as it did on Saturday night.

Hamas has declared it will step up its attacks on Israel in an attempt to “remove the siege” on Gaza and pressure it into agreeing to various concessions it is demanding from Israel.

Israeli Air Force (IAF) bombers attacked several Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Saturday night in response to riots on the Gaza border and incendiary balloon attacks on Israel earlier in the day.

Gaza-based terrorists launched arson balloons at southern Israel on Saturday, igniting at least two fires in the area. No one was injured in the attacks.

Later on, Hamas-backed squads, the so-called harassment units, rioted on the border, set off explosive charges, and made loud noises on speakers to harass the Israeli residents in the area.

The IDF responded to the riots with tear gas and accurate fire to key suspects. The Gaza health ministry reported that five rioters sustained gunshots wounds, including one seriously injured.

In response to the day’s incidents, IAF fighters bombed a Hamas military compound and a Hamas terrorist tunnel entrance.

This is the IAF’s third strike in Gaza in the past week.

Hamas has declared it will step up its attacks on Israel in an attempt to “remove the siege” on Gaza and pressure it into agreeing to various concessions it is demanding from Israel.

The IDF announced an easing of the restrictions on the Gaza Strip, as Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is in Washington for meetings with President Joe Biden and top US defense officials.

The IDF’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) stated Wednesday that following a security assessment and approval by the political echelon, it was decided to expand the introduction of equipment and goods to international civilian projects in the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

In addition, the import of new vehicles to the Gaza Strip will be approved and the gold trade between Gaza and Judea and Samaria will be resumed.

Furthermore, the quota of Gazan traders passing through the Erez crossing will be increased by another 1,000.

“The civilian measures approved by the political echelon are conditional on the continued maintenance of security stability over time, and their expansion will be examined in accordance with the assessment of the situation,” COGAT stated.

Hamas led a rally to Israel’s border with Gaza on Wednesday afternoon, an event that was less violent than the riot on Saturday, which resulted in the severe injuring of an IDF soldier.