US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s Mideast tour continues with Qatar, which has been mediating to bring a pause in the Israeli assault on Gaza, as a main stop today, Al Jazeera reports.

Blinken’s visit — which started with meetings with the leaders of Turkey and Greece ‚ will take him to Jordan, Qatar, as well as Israel and the occupied West Bank.

Citing an unnamed Qatari official and Israeli source, US news outlet Axios reported Qatar’s prime minister told family members of six US and Israeli hostages the assassination of Hamas’s Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut last week made efforts to secure a new prisoner swap deal more difficult.