Jordan demands proof ISIL-held pilot is alive

Jordan's government is in the middle of a three-way hostage swap with ISIL.

Early on Thursday, the armed group released an audio recording said to be of Japanese freelance journalist Kenji Goto, being held by the group.

The message has not been verified, but ISIL wants Jordan to release Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman on death row, for their release of Goto.

If Rishawi is not released, the group says it will kill Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh who it captured last December when his plane went down in Syria's Raqqa region and Goto's life also hangs in the balance.

Al Jazeera's Gerald Tan explains.