Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi

The new government, headed by former Petroleum Minister Sherif Ismail, came after state-friendly media had begun slamming his predecessor Ibrahim Mehleb and the prosecution began investigating several officials for allegedly receiving over $1 million in bribes.

Local media accused Mehleb and his ministers of incompetence and being out of touch with the public. El-Sissi, the former general and defense minister who led the overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in 2013, was spared the media lashing.

The office of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said that he had accepted the resignation but that the ministers would continue to serve until a new body is appointed. El-Sissi tasked Petroleum Minister Sherif Ismail with forming a new Cabinet within a week, two officials from the president's office said.

Prior to handing in his resignation, Mehleb gave a report detailing the performance of the government, which both officials said el-Sissi found "unsatisfying."

The statement came following a coordinated assault on the military in the troubled northern part of the Sinai Peninsula.

Wearing his old uniform, which he said he had hung up for good when he ran for president, the general-turned-politician met members of the army and delivered a televised speech to troops in Sinai, his first public comments on Wednesday's attack.

The visit came after Islamic State-linked militants struck a deadly blow against the military this week in a coordinated assault.

Wearing his old uniform, which he said he had hung up for good when he ran for president, the general-turned politician met members of the army and police, an official from his office said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information otherwise.