Eight policemen were killed and at least 10 injured in an attack on a North Sinai checkpoint in the early hours of Monday, a security source told Al-Ahram Arabic news website.
The interior ministry has yet to issue a statement that includes details of the attack.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack which comes only a few days after the army said it had foiled a plot by militants to attack several North Sinai checkpoints on Friday. The army spokesperson said the forces were able to kill nine militants and injure 16 others last week.
The Egyptian army and police have been battling an entrenched Islamist insurgency for several years in North Sinai.