The government's coordinator for hostages and missing persons, Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, said at the annual International Conference on Counter-Terrorism at Reichman University that "48 hostages are held by the enemy in the Gaza Strip. I reiterate with a bowed head to the families of the hostages, we are still in a state of failure. The responsibility to do everything in our power to return them is on us." According to him, "This is what we are doing with all resources and all the time. Hamas and its leadership are the ones sabotaging the negotiations. With sorrow, I see distrust in this simple truth; whoever looks for support for my words should listen to our American friends from this administration and the previous administration."