Palestinian death toll in Gaza nears 40,000 as conflict continues

The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip is approaching 40,000, the health authorities in the besieged enclave said on Wednesday.

During the past 24 hours, the Israeli military killed 36 people and wounded 54 others, bringing the total death to 39,965 and injuries to 92,294 since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out in October last year, according to a statement of the health authorities.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated on Tuesday that the Israeli army has killed about 100 Palestinian militants and destroyed a large number of weapons and infrastructure used by hundreds of Palestinian armed groups during operations in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah over the past several days.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), said on Tuesday that the organization used heavy mortar shells to bomb the Israeli army command center and vehicles in the central Gaza Strip.

On the same day, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), said that its militants attacked the Israeli city of Tel Aviv and surrounding areas with two M90 missiles. Israeli media reported explosions were heard in the vicinity of Tel Aviv on Tuesday afternoon, but no air defense alarm was sounded.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday said that the IDF intelligence forces are closely monitoring the movements of Lebanese Hezbollah and Iranian forces, and the IDF must be prepared for "all possibilities," so as to launch attacks anywhere, and the Israeli people need to remain vigilant at all times and comply with official instructions.

On Tuesday evening, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari posted on his social media platform, asking residents of some neighborhoods in southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis to begin evacuating as the Israeli military plans to launch military operations in these areas in response to the continuous rocket attacks by Palestinian armed groups.

Amidst the increasing tensions, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday that the U.S. Secretary of State Blinken had approved the sale of more than 20 billion U.S. dollars worth of military equipment to Israel.

The U.S. military had previously sent F-22 fighter jets to the Middle East. The U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also ordered the deployment of the USS Georgia , a nuclear-powered submarine armed with cruise missiles, to the Middle East, and ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to accelerate to the area.

Palestinian death toll in Gaza nears 40,000 as conflict continues

Savory mooncakes are becoming a new trend for celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival within Singapore's Chinese community this year, prompting local bakeries and restaurants to experiment with innovative fillings such as meat, crayfish, salted egg yolk, and more.

As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the Ngee Ann City complex is hosting a mooncake fair, attracting local and international bakeries and restaurants to offer a variety of options for residents.

While traditional flavors like lotus seed paste and crushed nuts remain popular, savory mooncakes -- particularly those with meat fillings -- have emerged as the hit this year.

"We started with Shanghai savory meat mooncakes and later experimented with crayfish, salted egg yolk, and our special recipe, crab meat mince mooncakes. We did not expect that, after launching them on the market, Singaporean customers would go from initially being surprised and shocked to fully accepting them. Now, they even place orders with us in advance," said Wang Yanqing, who initiated the creation of the new type of mooncake at a local restaurant..

The restaurant reports that more than 70,000 mooncakes were sold in just one month. The savory mooncakes have received many compliments and have quickly become a new local favorite.

"This is the first time I’ve tried a meat mooncake. Let me put it that way: it’s savory. It is a brand-new type of mooncake for us. It tastes very special, very innovative," said Fang Xiaolin, a Singaporean customer.

"Actually, it was the first time trying the savory mooncakes. I think it's so innovative and interesting because it's just very different from the usual mooncakes that we have in the market, so it tastes really savory and fresh, and I think a lot of Singaporeans will like it," said Fu Lina, another Singaporean customer.

In addition to enjoying a variety of mooncakes, Singaporean Chinese celebrate the festival with lantern shows, similar to traditional Chinese customs. The annual Mid-Autumn lantern show lights up Niu Che Shui Chinatown every night, attracting both locals and visitors.

The Mid-Autumn Festival has long been a cultural cornerstone for Chinese communities around the world.

Savory mooncakes gain popularity as Singapore celebrates Mid-Autumn Festival