Israeli commentators were unconvinced on Sunday by Egyptian denials of reports that the Jewish state carried out a deadly air strike against militants in the Egyptian Sinai.

"From past experience, it is difficult to imagine that such an attack was carried out in coordination with the Egyptians," Yoav Limor wrote in the daily Israel Hayom, seen as close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Egypt, with all its difficulties, would not be a party to such a thing, because of national pride and because someone, sometime, would say something, leak something and condemn to death the entire Egyptian leadership," it added.

An Egyptian militant group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, said four of its members belonging to Sinai Bedouin tribes were killed by Israeli drones on Friday.

Egypt denied the allegation.

"There is no truth whatsoever to any Israeli strikes inside Egyptian territory and the claim that there is Egyptian and Israeli coordination on the matter is utterly baseless," military spokesman Colonel Ahmed Aly said in a statement on Friday.

Israel's military spokesman's office declined to comment on the reports.

Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon was quoted as saying only that Israel "fully respects Egyptian sovereignty."

"The State of Israel is aware of and appreciates increased activity by the Egyptian military recently against terrorism across the Sinai Peninsula, including this weekend," he said.

"We will not allow rumours or speculations that have been spreading over the last 24 hours to harm the peace accord between the two countries," he said.

Unconvinced, the Haaretz newspaper focussed on the question of whether or not Egypt was party to an Israeli raid on the militants, reportedly preparing to fire rockets into Israel when they were hit.

"Without an official Israeli response, it is difficult to know -- assuming it was an Israeli attack -- whether Jerusalem had informed Cairo of its intention," the left-leaning daily's Amos Harel wrote.

"It is hard to believe that Egypt would agree in advance to an attack inside its territory."

Israel's military ordered the cancellation on Thursday of all flights into and out of the Red Sea resort of Eilat, which borders Egypt, due to what it said was a security threat.

Israeli security sources said that a squad of militants had been spotted in the Sinai moving toward the Israeli border, with the apparent intention of launching a rocket attack on Eilat.

The conservative Jerusalem Post took the view that a violation of Egyptian airspace would be justifiable if it were in self-defence.

"On the one hand is the need to respect Egyptian sovereignty and maintain the strategically vital peace treaty with Cairo. On the other is the obligation to defend southern Israel from the rising terrorist threat," analyst Yaakov Lappin wrote.

"It seems fair to assume that the dilemma comes to an end when the lives of Israeli civilians or members of the security forces face an immediate threat, with little time to formulate a response. The value of human life should take precedence over all other considerations."

Last month, Israel deployed a battery of its Iron Dome air defence system near Eilat, which was the target of rocket fire in both April and July.

With Israel's blessing, the Egyptian army has deployed reinforcements to the Sinai for a major offensive against the militants who have taken advantage of lawlessness since the 2011 revolution to set up base in the region.