Egypt president and faithful perform Eid prayers

Egyptian Muslims celebrated Eid al-Fitr in Cairo on Thursday, marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Hundreds of worshippers gathered inside mosques to pray.

This is the first Eid prayers to be performed in Egypt since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi attended the prayers in the New Alamein City in Matrouh Governorate.

Eid al-Fitr is one of the centerpieces of the Muslim calendar in Egypt, often featuring extended family gatherings where parents often buy gifts and new clothes for their children.

Earlier this month the Egyptian government announced that the country's beaches, parks and other public areas would be closed during the five-day holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

The country has recently seen another surge in infections, with daily reported new cases surpassing 1,000 in the past two weeks.

Egypt, with a population of over 100 million people, has registered more than 240,927 confirmed cases and 14, 091 deaths.

However, the actual numbers of COVID-19 cases, like elsewhere in the world, are thought to be far higher, in part due to limited testing.