The military said on Saturday that rebels’ targets were hit near the town of Sheikh Zuweid, destroying weapons and explosives, as the Egyptian president made an unannounced visit to the province after a major escalation of the conflict there.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi inspected soldiers and police in El-Arish, the provincial capital, on Saturday, the presidency said in a statement.

Sisi, dressed in military garb for the first time since becoming president just over a year ago, told troops at least 200 fighters had been killed in the fighting in recent days, but added, "For me to say that things are under control is not enough, things are totally stable."

"I tell Egyptians ... the size of forces here (in Sinai) is one percent of Egypt's army."

In a separate incident, at least two children and a woman were killed in Sheikh Zuweid town when a shell struck a house, but it was not immediately clear which side fired the shell, Al Jazeera reported.

A five-year-old child was killed in Rafah town that borders the Palestinian Gaza Strip when a roadside bomb targeted police and army vehicles.

The violence came days after Egyptian government carried out air strikes on Wednesday in response to one of the deadliest rebel assaults in Sheikh Zuweid.