Protesters shout slogans and hold a banner that reads in Arabic 'two Red Sea islands are Egyptian', against a deal that sees Egypt cede sovereignty over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia currently being debated in parliament in downtown Cairo, Egypt June 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

CAIRO, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The controversial deal of Egypt's two islands transfer to Saudi Arabia has been approved Wednesday by the Egyptian parliament's defense and national security committee, a day after it has been passed by the legislative committee.

"After the the deal was approved by the two main relevant committees, it will be referred to a general session for final vote," lawmaker Medhat al-Sherif, member of a parliamentary bloc that rejects the deal, told Xinhua.

The Egyptian parliament is divided over a maritime demarcation deal signed last year according to which Egypt will hand over the two Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia. However, the majority of members are in favor of the deal.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his administration see that the two islands originally belonged to Saudi Arabia and it is time to return them to their rightful owners, while opposers of the deal believe that the islands are Egyptian and giving them up will be sacrificing national soil for temporary interests.

Egyptian courts have previously nullified the agreement that was signed in April 2016 during a rare visit of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to Egypt.

Saudi Arabia led Gulf support to Sisi's government with billions of U.S. dollars and tons of oil supplies following the Sisi-led removal of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests.