Former member of the now-dissolved parliament Mohamed Abu Hamed asked Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi to impose stricter measures in Sinai.

"We expect you, in light of the condition that Sinai has reached, to issue a decree to demolish the (smuggling) tunnels and order the army to impose stricter measures", the liberal ex-MP insisted on Twitter on Tuesday.

He criticized negotiation attempts with Jihadist groups in Sinai, arguing that negotiating with such groups gives them legitimacy "that they do not deserve" where they should instead be dealt with by force.

Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, on the border of Israel, has witnessed a series of violent attacks and terrorist activities in the recent past, including an attack in Rafah in August where 16 Egyptians were killed.