Egyptian security officials say four policemen and two civilians have been killed in a suicide bombing in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula.

The officials said on Tuesday that the suicide bomber attacked a police checkpoint at a market in the town of Sheikh Zuweid.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

A local affiliate of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Egypt has for years been battling a long-running insurgency in North Sinai that is now led by an Islamic State affiliate. The fighting intensified in 2013 after the military overthrew an elected but divisive Islamist president.

Authorities heavily restrict access to the northern Sinai, making it difficult to verify claims related to the fighting.