Egypt's cabinet has legalised the status of 165 churches and church service buildings in Egypt, the official state gazette reported on Thursday.

A committee assigned in 2017 with reviewing the status of unlicensed churches has so far legalised 783 churches and church service buildings.

The committee is headed by the prime minister and includes the ministers of defence, housing, local development, legal and parliamentary affairs, justice and antiquities.

The committee also includes three representatives from the General Intelligence Service, the Administrative Control Authority, and interior ministry's national security department, and a representative of each Christian sect in Egypt.

Egypt passed a law in 2016 easing regulations on church building.