Rights group Amnesty International on Tuesday accused Egypt of "paranoia" in its crackdown to prevent protests the previous day against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's government.

On Monday, police fired tear gas at protesters in Cairo who defied government warnings and staged a rally calling for the "downfall" of the regime.

Egyptian police fired tear gas at protesters in Cairo who defied government warnings and held a rally Monday calling for the "downfall" of the regime, quickly scattering them and making arrests.

A coalition of leftist and liberal groups had called for the protest, ostensibly against the handing over of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.

An Egyptian court postponed on Saturday its verdict and sentence in the trial of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who is charged with spying for Qatar.

The head judge of the criminal court said the verdict was postponed to "May 7 to continue consultations," in brief remarks aired on television.

As peace offerings go, prefabricated metal huts on a sand dune may seem unimpressive, but they are what the Islamist Palestinian movement Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, has chosen.

Hamas has set up dozens of new border posts and military checkpoints along the enclave's border with Egypt in an attempt to improve relations with Cairo after three years of acrimony.

Egypt has arrested dozens of activists ahead of an anti-government demonstration planned for Monday, a group of lawyers said.

The group published a list of 59 people they say were detained since Thursday, arrested at cafes and at their homes in Cairo, adding "the arrests continue".

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed support for Egypt during a brief stop in Cairo on Wednesday before he attends a summit of Gulf states in Saudi Arabia.

Ties between Washington and Cairo have improved since the United States lifted a freeze on military aid that it had imposed on Egypt following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 and crackdown on his supporters.

An Egyptian policeman shot and killed a Cairo street vendor on Tuesday after an argument over the cost of a cup of tea, the interior ministry said.

A security official said the officer involved was arrested after dozens of bystanders protested at the scene of the shooting in an eastern suburb of the capital, chanting: "The police are thugs."

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hit back Wednesday at criticism of a deal to hand Saudi Arabia two islands and of the probe into an Italian student's murder, saying "evil" people were conspiring against Egypt.

Sisi is weathering a storm of controversy over a deal announced at the weekend that set maritime boundaries with Saudi Arabia, placing two islands in the Red Sea within the kingdom's borders.

An Egyptian court on Monday sentenced a former agriculture minister to 10 years in prison for corruption, a judicial official said, months after his arrest for taking bribes.

Salah Helal had been detained in September after being told to step aside during a corruption scandal that prompted the entire government to resign a few days later.

Saudi King Salman on Monday wrapped up a landmark five-day visit to Egypt marked by lavish praise and multi-billion-dollar investment deals, in a clear sign of support for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's regime.

The 80-year-old monarch's visit came as Riyadh aims to shore up ties with Cairo as it engages in several conflicts in the Middle East and competes with Shiite Iran for regional supremacy.