Egypt imposed a partial curfew in Sinai on Wednesday, a day after a deadly attack claimed by the Islamic State group near a monastery on the volatile peninsula.
Prime Minister Sherif Ismail declared the night-time curfew in some areas of northern Sinai, state television reported.
The curfew takes effect starting Wednesday and will last from 7 pm to 6 am local time every day until further notice. The area affected stretches from the turbulent Rafah Hill to the area of Jabal al-Halal, according to the broadcaster.
There will be one exception to those times. The curfew will only last for four hours daily - from 1 am to 5 am - in al-Arish, the capital city of northern Sinai, and an adjacent trunk road, the report said.
On Tuesday, one policeman was killed and three others injured in an attack on a security checkpoint near the St Catherine Monastery in southern Sinai.
Egypt has seen a series of deadly attacks - mainly targeting security forces in Sinai - since the army's 2013 overthrow of Islamist president Mohammed Mursi following mass protests against his rule.
In October 2014, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared a state of emergency in some parts of Sinai following a suicide attack on a security checkpoint that killed at least 30 soldiers.
Earlier this month, Egypt announced a nationwide state of emergency for three months in response to twin suicide attacks on two Coptic churches which killed at least 45 people and were claimed by Islamic State.
![The Monastery of St. Catherine in Egypt's south Sinai, where a policeman was killed and three others wounded on Tuesday. The Monastery of St. Catherine in Egypt's south Sinai, where a policeman was killed and three others wounded on Tuesday.](https://www.gulf-times.com/uploads/imported_images/Upload/Slider/4201719185941536030128.jpg)
The Monastery of St. Catherine in Egypt's south Sinai, where a policeman was killed and three others wounded on Tuesday.