According to the Egyptian government, three foreigners were injured in the attack - one from Sweden and two from Austria - and they were rushed to the hospital.

Gunmen have killed two Egyptian police personnel in the city of Giza, officials said quoting the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility of the attack. Security sources had initially said the attackers were armed with a gun, a knife and a suicide belt, and that they had arrived by sea to launch the onslaught on the beachside hotel.

However, the ministry said the attackers were only armed with knives and an air pistol. "They took knives and they tried to get Sammie here", he said, pointing to his chest.

Two Swedish tourists were stabbed and sent to the Nile Hospital in Hurghada, Khaled Megahed, a spokesman for Egypt's Health Ministry, told al-Ahram.

The seriousness of the injuries to the tourists, from Denmark and Germany, is not known.

The Foreign Office updated its website in light of the attack and urged British nationals in the area to "remain in a safe location and follow the advice of the local authorities".

The attack comes a day after a gang of youths hurled fireworks and birdshot at a bus and police guarding a Cairo hotel on Thursday, without hurting anyone, according to officials and witnesses.

Nine Egyptians were sentenced in November to life in prison for their involvement in the failed attack, while two others were jailed for seven years.

Egypt is now fighting a wave of attacks from militants, which began in remote regions of the Sinai and in recent months began targeting tourists.

But a statement carried Friday by IS sympathizers on Twitter claimed there were dead and wounded among the tourists and security officers protecting the hotel. The apparent bombing of a Russian passenger plane over Sinai past year, claimed by the IS group, led to widespread flight cancellations, dealing a major blow to the industry, which is one of the country's main earners.

Egypt's tourist economy is struggling to recover from unrest triggered by the Arab Spring and military coup in 2013, and travel agencies were already reporting people cancelling trips to Hurghada today.