Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi laid a wreath Thursday at the Memorial of the Unknown Soldier ahead of the 45th anniversary Saturday of the October War.

The October War, also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, was fought by a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against Israel, 6-25 October 1973.

The war eventually led to Israeli forces withdrawing from the Sinai Peninsula on 25 April 1982 after 15 years of occupation, based on a peace treaty signed between Egypt and Israel in 1979.

Egypt's Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly said Wednesday that Sunday, 7 October, will be a paid holiday for civil servants and public sector workers in commemoration of the October War.

Separately, the Central Bank of Egypt announced that Sunday will be a bank holiday.