An Egyptian court Tuesday sentenced three members of a political party to three years in jail for campaigning for the boycott of last month's constitutional referendum, judicial sources said.

The referendum was the first step in a roadmap outlined by Egypt's interim authorities for a return to democratic rule after Islamist president Mohammed Morsi was ousted by the military in July.

Egypt's military-installed authorities named a former member of ousted strongman Hosni Mubarak's ruling party as prime minister Tuesday ahead of a presidential election expected to bring the army chief to power.

Ibrahim Mahlab, a former state-sector construction boss, vowed to fight "terrorism" and bring back tourists as he began work on forming a new cabinet after the surprise resignation on Monday of prime minister Hazem al-Beblawi.

An Egyptian court on Monday postponed the jailbreak trial of deposed Islamist President Mohammed Morsi after defense lawyers requested that the judges withdraw from the case.

The trial, one of three cases against Morsi, is part of a relentless government crackdown targeting him and his Muslim Brotherhood movement since his ouster by the army in July.

The military-installed government of Egyptian prime minister Hazem al-Beblawi said Monday it has resigned, ahead of a presidential poll which will likely bring army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to power.

Sisi, by far the country's most popular political figure, has not yet announced his candidacy for this spring's presidential election, but aides say he has already decided to run and will make the announcement soon.

Presidential hopeful Hamdeen Sabbahi said he fears a return to autocratic rule in Egypt, telling Agence France Presse that the army chief, a likely election frontrunner, has failed to dispel these concerns.

Sabbahi, 59, who came third in the 2012 presidential election that Islamist Mohamed Morsi won, is seen by his supporters as a serious challenger, but Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is widely tipped to win the poll if he stands.

The Gaza Strip's militant Hamas rulers have said they plan to let private contractors take over the running of the Palestinian territory's border crossings with Egypt and Israel.

"The government is to give the private sector the opportunity to handle the technical management of crossing points from the Gaza Strip," Hamas deputy prime minister Ziad al-Zaza told Agence France Presse on Saturday and said that a commission of seven businessmen would be dedicated to the project.

Prosecutors Sunday accused deposed president Mohammed Morsi of leaking state secrets to Iran's Revolutionary Guards as part of a plot to destabilize Egypt, at the second hearing of his trial for espionage.

The trial, one of three that are under way against Morsi, is part of a relentless government crackdown targeting him and his Muslim Brotherhood movement since his ouster by the army in July.

Gunmen killed an officer from the Egyptian national security agency in the Nile Delta city of Zagazig on Saturday, officials said, the latest in a string of attacks on police and troops.

Attacks on the security forces have surged since the army ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in July, and as the military-installed authorities have pressed a deadly crackdown on his supporters.

Egypt's deposed president Mohammed Morsi on Saturday urged supporters from a courtroom dock to continue their "revolution", as a protest movement demanding his reinstatement shrinks before a fierce police crackdown.

The defiant call came during Morsi's trial on charges related to jailbreaks and attacks on police, as a separate court acquitted six police officers of killing protesters during the 2011 uprising against his predecessor Hosni Mubarak.

A court on Thursday adjourned the trial of Al-Jazeera journalists, including foreign reporters, to March 5, in a case that has sparked accusations of censorship against Egypt's military-installed government.

The journalists with the Doha-based satellite television, including Australian Peter Greste, are accused of supporting the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood and broadcasting false reports.