Kirby: No indication Hamas using American hostages as leverage
White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said there's no indication that Hamas is trying to keep Americans as hostages in order to use them as leverage.
"There's no indication that Hamas is trying to play some sort of game here in terms of the Americans," Kirby told reporters Tuesday.
He added that the first test case of getting hostages out involved two Americans, including a teenager from the Chicago area, and that 4-year-old American-Israeli hostage Abigail Idan was released over the weekend.
In the latest exchange on Tuesday, 12 hostages -- 10 Israelis and two foreign nationals from Thailand -- were released, the Israeli government said.
Kirby reiterated that the pool of American hostages is "pretty small, and the pool of Americans that qualify right now, women and children, is smaller still."
He also noted that there are issues locating the hostages, who may be held by various groups.
The U.S. believes there are eight or nine Americans still being held in Gaza, Kirby said on Monday.
-ABC News' Selina Wang and Cheyenne Haslett