CAIRO/SINAI , Oct 25 (Aswat Masriya) – Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is scheduled to meet on Saturday to discuss means of implementing a state of emergency declared in parts of the Sinai Peninsula on Friday night.

The National Defence Council had recommended on Friday the declaration of a state of emergency for three months in response to terrorist attacks in the peninsula which left over 30 security personnel killed. 

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who headed the National Defence Council's meeting and is heading the SCAF meeting, issued a presidential decree declaring a state of emergency.

The decision encompasses; the Rafah hill to al-Awga in the east, west of al-Arish to al-Halal mountain in the west, west of Arish to the Rafah international borders in the North and Halal mountain to Awga in the South. The state of emergency was enforced starting 5 am on Saturday.

Sisi also declared a night curfew in the said regions for the next three months. The curfew stretches from 5 pm until 7 am.

Sisi mandated the cabinet to swiftly take "the necessary measures to secure civilians residing in the regions" outlined in the decree declaring the state of emergency, reported state-run news agency MENA.

The cabinet is holding an emergency meeting on Saturday to discuss the attacks, reported MENA. 

Thirty military personnel were killed in a suicide blast which targeted a security checkpoint in Sinai's Sheikh Zuweid on Friday, security sources told Reuters. The explosion also caused damage to two military vehicles. 

Shortly afterwards, a separate attack by unidentified gunmen on a security checkpoint in Arish killed three more security personnel.

Egypt closed the Rafah border-crossing on Saturday following the attacks, reported MENA.

Militants have stepped up attacks targeting security forces in Egypt, particularly in the Sinai Peninsula, since the army's ouster of President Mohamed Mursi in July 2013, which followed mass protests against his rule. 

A fact-sheet prepared by Egypt's ministry of foreign affairs put the death toll for terrorism acts which took place since January 2011 and until April 2014 at 971, including 664 security personnel.