After Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) beheaded a Japanese journalist it had been holding, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan declared to do all possible to save the life of one of its pilots currently held by the jihadists. Moaz al-Kassasbeh – who may already have been executed – was captured by ISIS December 24 following the crash of his F-16 Fighting Falcon jet. He was reportedly flying an anti-terror mission over northern Syria.

The kingdom “will do everything it can to save the life and secure the release of its pilot,” said Mohammed al-Momenia, a Jordan government spokesman to the country’s official Petra news agency. ISIS has been demanding the release of a convicted Iraqi jihadist, currently on death row in Jordan, in exchange for Kassasbeh’s life. The Jordanian government has expressed its readiness to accept this demand so long as it is given proof he is still living.

However, sources have interpreted ISIS’s refusal to provide proof of Kassasbeh being alive to indicate that any deal with the jihadists was already ruined. Momenia said that all of the organizations in his country “have been mobilized to secure the proof of life” required to ensure Kassasbeh’s freedom and be returned home.

Despite a concentrated push by intermediaries to save his life, ISIS  jihadists nevertheless recently murdered Japanese journalist Kenji Goto. He was the second Japanese national to be executed by ISIS within a week. Previously, once a 72-hour ultimatum expired, Haruna Yukawa was beheaded.

The jihadists say their deadly acts were punishment for Japan’s promise to contribute U.S. $200 million to assist countries affected by the violent seizure by the group of large portions of Syria and Iraq last year. Jordan apparently was involved in the efforts to save Goto, as Momeni said that his country coordinated with Japan to save him, adding that Jordan “spared no effort.”

ISIS wants to see Sajida al-Rishawi freed.  She was sentenced to death for her part in the bombings of three Amman hotels in 2005, when sixty people were killed. Al-Rishawi’s husband was one of multiple suicide bombers who died in the incident and a Jordanian court has stated that she intended to die in Amman with them in Amman but for the failure of the detonator that was supposed to trigger the explosion that would have killed her and others.