The Times of Israel liveblogged Friday’s events as they happened.

US President Donald Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office that fewer than 20 hostages held by terror groups in Gaza are still alive, bucking Israel’s official tally and sparking despair from the families of the captives.

“So now they have 20,” he says, “but the 20 is actually probably not 20 because a couple of them are not around any longer.”

In his comments, Trump decries Hamas’s “extortion.” He also takes credit for the release of “hundreds” of hostages, though fewer than 150 captives remained in Gaza when he took office on January 20, and terror groups in the Strip continue to hold 50 captives, 28 of whom have been confirmed dead by the IDF.

There are also grave concerns for the well-being of two captives, Israeli officials have said.

Trump is also asked why the US appears to be backing the Israeli decision to take over Gaza City when the hostage families are opposed.

“Not all of them,” Trump replies. “And you have to understand, I’m the one who got all of the hostages out.”

“We’re doing everything we can to get the hostages out,” he says, adding that “it’s not easy.”

'I'm the one who got all the hostages out, if it wasn't for me, they wouldn't be out'

Speaking in the Oval Office, Donald Trump talks to the media about the remaining hostages in Gaza, saying 'the situation has to end'https://t.co/JomsP48R8k pic.twitter.com/HMltLaBnJQ

— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 22, 2025

The White House appears to dismiss the findings of a UN-backed global hunger monitor after the latter issued a report concluding that famine had struck Gaza for the first time.

“We are looking into credible reports that the IPC recently changed its definition for what constitutes a famine,” reads a statement from a US State Department spokesperson.

The statement appears to be referring to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification’s (IPC) decision to utilize a different system to measure malnutrition in Gaza than it has used in other conflict zones.

To track hunger in Gaza, IPC used the Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) measurement, as opposed to the weight-for-height Z-score (WHZ).

Under MUAC, 15% of people measured need to be identified as acutely malnourished in order for a famine to be declared, whereas the threshold for WHZ is 30%. Israel has accused IPC of lowering its own criteria in order to conclude that there is famine in Gaza. In its report, the UN agency explained that it used the MUAC measurement instead of WHZ because the former is easier and cheaper to track amid the challenging wartime conditions.

The US appears to reject the approach and the conclusions reached in the report, with the State Department spokesperson saying that addressing the “challenging issues of getting aid to Gazans means honestly addressing problems for the sake of Gazans, who deserve better, not engaging in semantics.”

The spokesperson clarifies that the US still thinks the humanitarian situation in Gaza is a “serious concern” and that Washington is working to find ways to deliver aid to Gazan civilians in an active war zone where the Hamas terror group is trying to remain in power.

“Hamas is systematically promoting a false narrative of deliberate mass starvation to put political pressure on Israel,” the spokesperson asserts.

The US statement points out UN figures that show the vast majority of its trucks coming into Gaza over the past two months have been looted, arguing that food is going into the Strip but is not reaching those who need it most. Notably, the figures cited are from May 19, when Israel lifted its aid blockade over Gaza after 78 days.

Aid organizations say that the blockade helped spur the current hunger crisis and that the 22 months of war have led to a collapse of the humanitarian response in Gaza that was necessary to ensure that food continued reaching vulnerable populations at earlier stages of the war.

The State Department spokesperson says the US is focused on “getting aid to the people in need while implementing safeguards to prevent Hamas from stealing and looting the assistance.”

The IDF confirms that the Houthi missile launched from Yemen at Israel tonight likely broke up in the air during its descent.

The Israeli Air Force launched several interceptor missiles to shoot down the fragments, the military says.

There are reports of several locations in central Israel where fragments landed. The IDF says it is investigating.

There are no reports of injuries.

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp resigns after a cabinet meeting failed to agree on sanctions against Israel.

“I see that I am insufficiently able to take meaningful additional measures to increase pressure on Israel,” Veldkamp tells Dutch news agency ANP after a cabinet debate on possible sanctions against Israel was deadlocked.

Last month, Veldkamp declared Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich unwelcome in the Netherlands, accusing them of inciting settler violence in the West Bank and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip.

On Thursday, Veldkamp said he wanted to take further steps against Israel, but later acknowledged he lacked confidence he could act effectively in the coming weeks or months.

The minister says the steps he had proposed were “seriously discussed” but encountered resistance in successive cabinet meetings.

“I feel constrained in setting the course I consider necessary as foreign minister,” he says.

The Netherlands was among 21 countries that signed a joint declaration on Thursday condemning Israel’s approval of a major West Bank settlement project as “unacceptable and contrary to international law.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

A ballistic missile launched by the Houthis in Yemen at Israel a short while ago apparently broke up in the air during its descent, according to initial IDF assessments.

The Israeli Air Force launched interceptor missiles to shoot down the falling fragments.

The IDF says the results of the interception attempts are under investigation.

There are no immediate reports of impacts or injuries. Sirens had sounded in central Israel.

Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 71 ballistic missiles and at least 23 drones at Israel. Several of the missiles have fallen short.

Sirens sound in central Israel following the launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen. The IDF says it is working to shoot down the projectile.

A ballistic missile has been launched from Yemen at Israel, the military says.

Sirens are expected to sound in central Israel in the coming minutes.

Israel is expected to launch its new offensive on Gaza City in mid-September, some two weeks after newly called-up reservists are set to report for duty on September 2, Channel 12 reports.

Some one million Palestinians currently in Gaza City will be called upon to evacuate as soon as Sunday, the network says.

According to the report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the political echelon are pushing to speed up the launch of the operation, while the military wants to first take steps to safeguard the hostages and the troops, and also evacuate the Palestinians from Gaza City and ensure there is international legitimacy for the operation.

The network cites Israeli officials as saying it is urgent to get out the hostages as soon as possible due to their dire condition. Sources cited by the outlet say that there are currently no substantive disagreements between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire-hostage deal, but “it all depends on Netanyahu.”

“There are no magic solutions,” the sources were quoted as saying. “If [we] want to bring back the hostages [we] can do that now.”

The terror group recently said it accepted a partial hostage deal that Israel had agreed to in the past, while Netanyahu has vowed to push on in Gaza City and to negotiate only for a deal that would release all the hostages. A source cited by Channel 12 says a partial deal was never on the table, and that Israel has only sought a comprehensive deal in two phases.

Despite the apparent impasse in the ceasefire talks, Israel is expected to send negotiators to renewed ceasefire-hostage talks in the coming days, Channel 12 reports, adding that talks have already begun on setting the time and place for the negotiations, which have stalled since Israel and the US recalled their negotiators from Doha last month.

The network says it is unclear where the renewed talks will take place, and that they will commence in a location other than Doha or Cairo, where they have taken place until now.

Israel reportedly assesses that the impending operation in Gaza City is placing great pressure on Hamas, possibly leading to greater flexibility in the talks.

According to the network, Netanyahu seeks to drive that point home by renaming the operation “Iron Fist,” rather than the name “Gideon’s Chariots 2” that has been used until now, following the original Operation Gideon’s Chariots that was launched in May.

Sources present in Netanyahu’s consultations say he has been using the name Operation Iron Fist over the past couple of days, Channel 12 says.

A member of Syria’s internal security forces was killed in a suicide attack by Islamic State at a checkpoint in the city of Mayadin in the Deir Ezzor area, which borders Iraq, Syrian state media reports.

According to SANA, the attack was carried out by at least two assailants, one of whom detonated himself while the other was killed by troops.

The attack comes two days after a US-led coalition captured a senior Islamic State commander in northwest Syria, near the Turkish border, according to state media and a war monitor.

A Hezbollah operative was killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon’s Ayta ash-Shab earlier today, the IDF says.

According to the military, the operative was involved in efforts to restore Hezbollah infrastructure in the area.

Since a November 2024 ceasefire, the IDF says it has killed over 230 Hezbollah operatives in strikes in Lebanon, accusing the operatives of having violated the terms of the truce.

A family of Israeli tourists was attacked at a holiday park in the Netherlands Thursday evening, days after local anti-Israel groups posted videos online of Israeli tourists at another park and “called for action against them,” Israel’s embassy in The Hague says, though local police reportedly says the victims’ nationality was not the cause for the attack.

Two victims of the attack at Center Parcs De Kempervennen, near Eindhoven, required hospitalization, and one suspect was detained, the embassy says in a Dutch-language statement, adding that “it is assumed that multiple suspects were involved.”

The embassy, whose building was defaced last week, adds that this is the latest in a series of attacks on Israelis visiting the Netherlands.

“We expect the Dutch authorities to take all necessary measures to protect Israelis and Jews in the Netherlands. Intimidation and violence against individuals because of........

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