Egyptian police killed in Sinai ambush at Rafah

The Sinai peninsula is covered by the 1979 treaty between Israel and Egypt

At least 24 Egyptian policemen have been killed in an ambush attack in the Sinai peninsula, officials say.

The police were travelling in two buses which came under attack from armed men close to the town of Rafah on the Gaza border, security forces said.

A number of police were also reported to have been injured in the blast.

The military recently intensified a crackdown against militants in Sinai, where attacks have surged since the fall of Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Deployments in Sinai are subject to the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.

In Monday's incident, security sources said four armed men had stopped the police buses and forced the passengers to get out before shooting them.