Deadly blast hits Sinai compound

At least eight people have been killed in an explosion near a security compound in Egypt's Sinai region, near the border with Israel, killing a soldier as well as seven civilians, including two children, in a nearby residential complex, security and hospital officials said.

Medical sources said at least 22 other people were injured in the blast on Sunday.

The Interior Ministry said seven people were killed and around 25 others were injured in an explosion.

Security sources said the rocket was targeting North Sinai's main security compound but instead fell in front of a nearby crowded supermarket in Sinai's northern city of al-Arish, Reuters news agency reported. 

A few minutes later, two rockets hit a security unit in the same city killing an officer and injuring seven others, medical sources said.

The military post is located near a compound of residential buildings in the al-Salam district. The main security headquarters and the local government offices are also located in the same area.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said a supermarket, pharmacy and a residential building also were hit by mortar fire.

Samy Anwar, the head of el-Arish hospital, said seven civilians were killed in the attack, including a 10-year old girl and a 12-year old boy. He said 24 others were wounded, including an 11-year-old girl.

The attack comes as Israel's offensive against the neighboring Gaza Strip continues. More than 170 Palestinians have been killed. Palestinian militant groups have fired rockets at Israel but caused no deaths. Despite international calls for a cease-fire, the violence showed no sign of easing.

Fighters in Sinai have also fired rockets at Israel in support of Palestinian groueps in the past days. Officials here said they foiled a new attempt to fire rockets at Israel Sunday.

Anti-government forces have found a haven in northern Sinai, particularly after the turmoil in Egypt since 2011. They have mainly targeted military and police forces in the peninsula, and rarely hit civilians, in a wave of attacks that increased following the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi.

The military has waged an offensive against the fighters in the Sinai, reducing the attacks against troops. But the groups have increasingly pushed their attacks toward Cairo and other provinces in Egypt.

Al Jazeera and wire services