Soldiers and a military helicopter seen in the area near Rafah border crossing Militants fired rocket-propelled grenades at two mini buses packed with Egyptian policemen in Sinai, killing at least 24, in the deadliest attack of its kind in years, medical and security sources said. The attack took place on Monday morning in an area near the Egyptian city of Sheikh Zuweid, as the police buses made their way to a military camp towards the town of Rafah, on the border with the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
Three policemen were also reported to have been injured in the attack.
Eyewitnesses told Arab Today that the armed men ordered the police officers to get out of their vehicles, after which they were attacked. Some of the officers were slaughtered with knives whilst others were shot, the eyewitnesses added.
Military forces have surrounded the area and are using Apache helicopters to search for the attackers.
Egypt has now closed its Rafah border crossing in Sinai with the Palestinian Gaza Strip following the deadly attack.
Last week, Egypt said it would close the crossing indefinitely, but it was partially reopened on Saturday, according to the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza.
The interior ministry blamed the attacks on \"armed terrorist groups,\" a border official said shortly afterwards that the Rafah border crossing would be closed. Security sources told Arab Today that the interior ministry released a statement saying that the attack comes as a result of the 36 Islamist prisoners who were killed on Sunday during an attempted jailbreak in Egypt. The prisoners were being transferred to the Abu Zaabal prison outside Cairo when the incident occurred.
 The security situation in the Sinai Peninsula, which borders both Gaza and Israel, has deteriorated since 2011, when president Hosni Mubarak was overthrown. But it has become significantly worse since the army ousted president Mohammed Morsi on July 3, with near daily attacks by militants targeting police and military installations.