CAIRO, Oct 25 (Aswat Masriya) – Egypt’s cabinet agreed on Saturday to submit a bill amending the law governing the military judiciary in a manner which would make “terrorism cases that threaten the state’s peace and security” within the law’s jurisdiction.

The cabinet held an emergency meeting to discuss militant attacks on security forces in the Sinai Peninsula on Friday which left at least 33 security personnel killed.

In an official statement released after the meeting, the cabinet said that the amendment would allow the military judiciary law to tackle cases that involve attacks on armed forces and police facilities and personnel, as well as vandalising public properties and utilities and blocking roads.

At least 30 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 al-Arish killed three more security personnel.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared a three-month state of emergency and a nighttime curfew in parts of the Sinai Peninsula in response to Friday's deadly attacks.

The military judiciary law will be implemented in areas of Sinai where the state of emergency was declared, the cabinet reminded.

In a national address delivered on state television on Saturday, Sisi said that "foreign support was offered to carry out the operation,” without clearly identifying who is believed to be behind this support.

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.

The cabinet said it will provide the “necessary funding” to carry out the president’s instructions.

Egypt's security forces have intensified their security measures in North Sinai in reaction to repeated militant attacks that target army and police officials, which rose significantly since the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi last year. The attacks soon expanded to other areas of the country, including the capital.

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. The number of casualties significantly rose since then.

Reviewing statements and press releases by security forces, Aswat Masriya counted the death of 82 people – 62 security personnel and 20 civilians, in the past two months in the Sinai Peninsula. The number is over four times that of those killed in the Peninsula during the months of June and July; 17 people including eight security personnel and nine civilians.

Article 204 of Egypt’s new constitution already allows referring civilians to military trials "in cases which represent a direct assault on armed forces institutions, their camps or anything that falls under their authority, alongside assaults on military or border zones, and military institutions, vehicles, weapons, ammunition, documents, secrets, public funds, or factories."

The article was strongly condemned by civil society organisations and a number of political movements before the constitution passed. 

No Military Trials for Civilians, a group campaigning against referring civilians to military tribunals, has rallied protests against this article as well as previous legislations which allow the military trial of civilians.