In a speech after Eid prayers, President El-Sisi addressed "Egyptians, to the youth, families, and the younger generation: “You matter deeply to us,” El-Sisi said, “we would never forget the immense debt we owe to the families who gave Egypt its martyrs and its wounded during the hard years following 2012.”
The president added that he was speaking to Egyptians as a human being, not merely as an official who lived through that period.
He emphasized that the country had been facing “people who wanted to tear everything down [and that] those who destroy do not know how to build; those who ruin cannot create.”
Egypt, he continued, was going through a difficult time, in which terrorist operations and incidents occurred almost daily. The state, El-Sisi noted, fought a fierce war against terrorism for 10 years; a war that claimed the lives of Egypt’s sons.
“Thanks to them and their sacrifices,” the president affirmed, “we are still standing here today by their sacrifices and God’s grace.”
Speaking to the memories of the martyrs and the injured, El-Sisi said, “You are held in the highest regard. everyone who gave something during that time — whether a martyr or injured — the price they paid is what made our present possible.”
The president also asserted that the terrorists “wanted to break our spirit, to kill hope, to make us believe there was no tomorrow. They said it — and they acted on it.”
He added that Egypt’s institutions, the army, the police, and the judiciary, staunchly resisted so that Egypt could fight through that difficult time, noting that he was aware of the people’s doubts about the end of the war. “But I had faith in God that He would help us through,” El-Sisi said.
The president extolled the sacrifices of the martyrs' and wounded's families, saying, “To every father, son, and mother who gave a martyr or an injured loved one: walk through Egypt with your head not just held high, but with a deep sense of pride in yourselves and in your country.”
Egypt, he declared, a country of 120 million people, including guests, is safe and secure because of the sacrifices of the martyred and wounded. “We have not forgotten that the cost was immense,” El-Sisi affirmed, adding that "thousands of martyrs and tens of thousands of injured — some of whom lost parts of their bodies and continue to suffer, along with their families.”
Such wounds, he stated, do not simply heal.
The president further acknowledged the depth of the martyrs' and wounded’s sacrifices. He insisted that the viability of their sacrifices can never be attested by his words, nor by the media, songs, or drama. Egypt’s stability, El-Sisi affirmed, “itself [by contrast] stands as the enduring witness to your sacrifices. Our condition today, our stability — that is the proof.”
El-Sisi went on to say that he declared the end of the war and terrorism in 2022. He noted that his administration had two choices: either switching to an economy of war in which all the state’s resources and capabilities are exclusively dedicated to the fight. Or, conversely, to continue with development plans while fighting the war. “But we chose to move on both paths at once: to fight the war while also pursuing development,” El-Sisi explained.
The president also drew attention to the fact that the war cost Egypt, daily, around EGP 40 million. “Beyond the priceless loss of every martyr and injured person, it was costing between 30 to 40 million Egyptian pounds a day from 2012 to 2022 — roughly 120 billion pounds,” he stressed.
El-Sisi then shifted to a discussion of the ideology Egypt was facing during the war on terrorism. “I swear to God, what they were doing has nothing to do with Islam and does not please God. Killing, destruction, and devastation have never pleased God. And I remind our young people: we did not initiate this,” the president admonished.
He insisted that the state made every effort to avoid internal fighting. “We did not begin with aggression or destruction. They thought they could destroy the state and bring it down,” El-Sisi affirmed.
The president further underscored the fact that “we were never conspirators. God knows what is in people’s hearts and their intentions. We did not conspire — we only wanted to preserve our country.”
He revealed that after 2011, he never doubted that the [now-designated terrorist group] Muslim Brotherhood would rule Egypt. But similarly, he was certain that they would not remain in power “because Egyptians do not accept being forced, whether to pray in a mosque or in a church. Egypt is not a country where anyone is coerced into religion.”
The president concluded by paying homage to the martyrs' souls. He also paid tribute to those who were injured. Addressing the families of the martyrs and the wounded, El-Sisi asserted that “this is a badge of honour for every family — and its impact is visible in the life we are all living today. May God preserve our safety and security and help us against those who wish us harm.” The martyrs' and wounded's sons and daughters, El-Sisi insisted, “shall grow up proud of their fathers and say: 'We are the ones whose sacrifices made your present possible.”
The president ended by wishing all Egyptians well every year.
Earlier, President El-Sisi performed Eid prayers at the Al-Fattah Al-Alim Mosque in the New Capital.
Following the prayers, El-Sisi listened to the Eid sermon, which praised the security, stability, and development that Egypt is undergoing.
Following the prayers, the president joined a group of children and the attendees for breakfast.
In attendance were Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defence and Military Production Lieutenant General Ashraf Salem Zaher, Minister of Religious Endowments Usama Al-Azhari, and several other ministers, as well as a wide attendance from the state’s leadership.
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