CAIRO, Nov. 24 (Aswat Masriya) – The death toll of North Sinai’s hotel attacks increased to seven in addition to the three militants involved in the attacks, said a security source to state run MENA news agency Tuesday evening.

The source said that four policemen, two judges and a civilian were killed in attacks which targeted Swiss Inn Hotel in Arish where judges overseeing the second phase of the parliamentary elections and journalists covering the electoral process were staying.

In the first attack a suicide bomber drove a car loaded with explosives intending to ram it into the hotel. But security forces thwarted the plan in an exchange of fire, detonating the explosives and killing the attacker, the armed forces spokesman said in a statement earlier on Tuesday.

Another attacker wearing a suicide belt managed to sneak into the hotel where he blew himself up.

The third attacker snuck into a hotel room and fired "randomly", killing a judge, the spokesman said.

The state of emergency has been in place in certain areas in North Sinai since October 24, 2014 in the aftermath of a large-scale attack on a checkpoint of Karm al-Kawadis killing at least 30 security personnel in Sheikh Zuweid.

Militancy in Egypt, particularly in North Sinai, has been on the rise since the military ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.