During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan Coptic Christians have organized daily meals for their Muslim neighbors in Cairo to show communal solidarity after recent deadly attacks by Islamist extremists.

Intercommunal meals are held every year in Egypt, but this year took increased significance following a spate of attacks targeting Christians that killed hundreds during an attempt to fuel sectarian tensions.

"They invited me and my kids, and I was surprised. They laid the table out on the street with no difference between sheikhs, Christians or Muslims – they pulled everyone to the table to break their fast," said Tarek Ali, a Muslim resident, according to The New Arab.

This year Ramadan began on May 26 and is in the process of ending.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and Muslims observe throughout the world as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to the prophet Muhamad according to Islamic belief.

Dawoud Riyad, a middle-aged Christian man, set up the tables in a street near his Cairo home and has served up free home-cooked meals to hungry passersby at Iftar, the evening Ramadan meal.

"We all live in the same square, we're all brothers and friends, I've raised this man's son (alongside my own son) and he's Muslim," Riyad said, pointing to a neighbor, Reuters news agency reported.

Christian families in the area contributed food and drink in what he said he said was an effort to unite Egyptians during a holy time of the year for the majority of residents in this north African country.

Copts account for some 10 percent of Egypt's 92 million people, but both the State and society discriminated against them.

In April, twin bombings in the Nile Delta cities of Tanta and Alexandria killed 46 worshipers and injured more than 100 others as they celebrated Palm Sunday.

Last month, masked gunmen attacked a bus carrying Coptic Christians in southern Egypt on Friday morning, killing at least 28 and injuring 25, a local official said.

The terror group that calls itself Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks.