On the morning of 8 July 2013 at the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo, Egypt there was a clash between protesters seeking the return of deposed President Mohamed Morsi, and the military, who were protecting the institution.

According to the Forensic Medical Authority, at least 61 protesters seeking the return of Morsi to power were killed and more than 435 injured in the clashes, in what has been deemed a massacre by the Muslim Brotherhood and those opposed to the recent coup d'état.

According to some witnesses, the military opened fire without provocation towards the end of morning prayers, immediately using live ammunition and shooting to kill.

[6] Gehad El-Haddad, the Muslim Brotherhood's spokesman, claimed that the military opened fire at the protesters while they were praying in front of the Republican Guard and staging a peaceful sit-in.

[6]According to the military, a "terrorist group" tried to storm the Republican Guard headquarters and that it had retaliated by opening fire at the attackers.