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Three children were killed Sunday evening in an explosion in Egypt’s restive Sinai Peninsula, tribal sources told °®Âþµºâ€™s sister site.

The blast was caused by an explosive device left behind from battles between the Egyptian army and Islamic State (IS) group-affiliated militants.

The explosion happened in the village of Al-Duhair, south of the city of Sheikh Zuweid in the Northern Sinai governorate.

The boys were aged seven, eight, and 12, medical sources at Arish General Hospital told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

A fourth boy, aged 11, is also in critical condition, the sources said.

An IS-linked insurgency has raged for years in the Sinai Peninsula’s north. It intensified after a 2013 military coup led by current President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The conflict has largely taken place out of public view, with journalists and outside observers barred from the area. The fighting has so far not expanded into the southern end of the peninsula, where popular Red Sea tourist resorts in Sharm al-Sheikh are located.

While there is no official death toll, it is believed that hundreds of Egyptian soldiers, civilians and militants have died in the ongoing violence.