US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will press for the release of the hostages in exchange for a halt to the Israeli offensive in Gaza during his trip to the Middle East, the State Department announced on Friday, according to AFP.

Blinken is due to depart on Sunday and will visit Qatar and Egypt, which are acting as mediators, as well as Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia, the State Department said.

The secretary of state “will continue diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement that guarantees the release of all remaining hostages and includes a humanitarian pause to provide continued and increased humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

This will be the fifth trip of the head of American diplomacy to the Middle East since the beginning of the conflict between Hamas and Israel.

Representatives of Qatar, Egypt, Israel and the United States met in Paris on Sunday to discuss a proposed ceasefire in the Gaza war.

On Monday, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdelrahman Al Thani spoke of “significant progress” at a meeting in Paris.

That same day in Washington, Blinken spoke of the “real hope” that hostages still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip could soon be freed.

According to the Israeli authorities, 132 hostages are still being held, 28 of whom are believed to be dead.