Rafah Hospital said in a statement on Thursday Egyptian army troops clashed with militants in the area close to the border with the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

The report said that several others were buried under rubble after heavy weapons destroyed buildings in the area.

The Egyptian army has long been engaged in military operations against militants in the volatile region, which has been under a state of emergency since October 2014.

Last week, unidentified assailants opened fire on a security checkpoint in the peninsula, killing eight police officers.

Over the past few years, militants have used the Sinai Peninsula as a safe haven to carry out deadly attacks mainly targeting Egyptian army and police forces.

Velayat Sinai, previously known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, has claimed responsibility for most of the assaults. The group pledged allegiance to Takfiri Daesh terrorist group in November 2014, Presstv reported.

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