Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, visited Qatar last week to discuss negotiations to free Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander and finalize the second phase of the Gaza hostage-release and cease-fire deal.

Gottheimer met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and other Qatari negotiators, as well as U.S. negotiators, with a focus on Alexander, the last living American hostage, who is from Gottheimer’s district.

“In Qatar, I spent time with the lead negotiators focused on one objective — to bring home the last living American hostage, my constituent, 21-year-old American Edan Alexander. And we must get every hostage home,” Gottheimer said in a statement. “The United States should never leave any man or woman behind. We must get to the second phase of the American-backed deal that will see the release of the remaining hostages.”

He told Jewish Insider in an interview while en route back to the United States that his conversations centered around what the parties involved need to do to ensure that Alexander is freed, saying that all involved are “incredibly focused on doing everything we can to get it done.”

He said that the discussions were “constructive and productive.”

“It’s just continuing to redouble that effort and make it very clear that [Alexander] is the last living American [hostage], we can’t stop until he comes home,” Gottheimer said. “That’s why I went to Qatar, to reiterate that and to discuss all and every avenue to get him home.”

Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) told JI last week that Alexander’s release has been linked to phase two of the deal, which has not yet been finalized.

“We’re still in phase one. Whether he comes home in phase one or phase two, it’s key to get him home,” Gottheimer told JI.

Gottheimer is also running for governor of New Jersey, and has visited Qatar and the region numerous times in the past year.

According to a press release from Gottheimer’s office, he discussed the need to surge humanitarian aid into Gaza and “crush Hamas,” the status of negotiations, how phase two can be finalized, the Qataris’ “deep responsibility” to ensure Hamas frees more hostages and the potential postwar future of the region.

Gottheimer has long been a proponent of U.S. pressure on Qatar, a U.S. ally, threatening a year ago that Congress would consider “fast-track legislative options” to punish Qatar for failing to secure additional hostage releases.

He told JI that he will continue to put pressure on all parties involved “so that no one for an hour takes their eye off the ball.”

“As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, I will not rest until every single hostage, including the five remaining Americans, are brought home,” Gottheimer said in a statement.

The second phase of the deal, which would require Israel to pull out of Gaza, has been a difficult prospect for the Israeli government.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed the release of Palestinian prisoners expected to be freed over the weekend, demanding that Hamas cease the “humiliating ceremonies” it has held for the releases of both living and deceased hostages.

The most recent such ceremony included two hostages who were not released, forced to watch as others were set free.