“Any crisis, any issue and any difficult circumstances -- thanks to God Almighty -- as long as we are together, will pass,” El-Sisi said.

El-Sisi also touched on the tough conditions sustained by Palestinians, saying the Egyptians are affected by the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

He asserted Egypt’s steadfast position on the Gaza crisis, noting that the country seeks to help reach a ceasefire and facilitate the entry of aid into the strip to ease the suffering of the Palestinian people and, in a later state, to solve the decades-old issue.

The president extended greetings to the Coptic Egyptians wishing the new year would bring an end to all difficult conditions unsettling the entire world since 2020.

Coptic Orthodox Egyptians, who make up 90 percent of the country’s Christian population, celebrate Christmas on 7 January according to the Julian Calendar.

Smaller Egyptian Christian denominations – such as Catholics and Evangelicals – celebrate Christmas on 25 December, according to the Gregorian Calendar.

Coptic Christmas was declared a public holiday in Egypt in 2003.

Pope Tawadros II, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, led the Orthodox Christmas Mass at the Cathedral in the NAC earlier on Saturday.

Senior state officials, ministers, ambassadors, public figures, diplomats, members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as bishops, priests, and members of the church attended the celebration.

The Cathedral of Christ's Nativity, located in the New Administrative Capital, is the largest in the Middle East, accommodating 8,200 individuals.

Pope Tawadros II led the first-ever mass at the cathedral in 2018, which was also attended by the Egyptian president, before it was officially inaugurated in January 2019.

Located south of Central Park in the NAC, the cathedral includes a 60-metre-high tower and covers an area of 15 acres.

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