Egyptian security and executive authorities intensified their preparations near the places of worship of Muslims and Christians. The Eid al-Adha holiday coincides this year with the end of the Coptic Orthodox fasting period. Police forces deployed in various governorates and conducted combing operations in the vicinity of the main gathering areas for those celebrating festivities, especially in parks and large shrines. The government announced the activation of a central operations room to monitor emergency situations and complaints in order to deal with them promptly. The Ministry of Health also said that it has increased its readiness to the maximum level and prepared 3,000 ambulances equipped for public gatherings, parks, mosques, prayer areas in all governorates in addition to 10 river ambulance boats. Last week, Egypt thwarted a suicide attack on a Coptic church, north Cairo. The attacker targeted the Church of the Holy Virgin in the Mostorod district. It attack did not result in casualties, and only the perpetrator died. Egyptian authorities have arrested six suspected members of a "terrorist cell" behind a failed suicide attack on a church in the outskirts of Cairo, the interior ministry said on Sunday. The Interior Ministry declared the arrest of six suspected members of a "terrorist cell" behind the failed suicide attack. It also announced that seven people were killed in "exchanges of fire with police" and reported that they were planning to carry out "terrorist" operations during Eid al-Adha. Notably, Eid al-Adha prayer is scheduled to be held in about 6,000 areas approved by the Ministry of Awqaf in all the country’s governorates. The Ministry of Awqaf, which is responsible for the mosques, called on some of its inspectors, who hold "judicial control," to tighten their control over the Eid al-Adha gathering areas. “The central operations room of the Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) will be in constant contact with the other operations rooms in different ministries to address any problem that might emerge during the Eid al-Adha holiday,” Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli said. The room works round the clock and includes representatives of the ministries of defense, interior, supply, electricity, transport, local development, health, social solidarity, aviation and tourism.