U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday stressed to Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani the need to hold the Hamas terrorist group responsible for its actions.

Rubio thanked Sheikh Mohammed during the telephone conversation for “his mediation efforts to secure the release of hostages from Gaza, and for Qatar’s security partnership,” according to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.

The secretary was said to have “reinforced” the need to hold Hamas accountable and make sure that the Palestinian terrorist organization releases all remaining hostages, including U.S. citizens, from Gaza.