Gaza City: Hamas on Tuesday rejected US President Donald Trump's accusation that the Palestinian militant group was blocking efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. "Hamas has never been an obstacle to reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip... The US administration, the mediators and the entire world know that the war criminal (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu is the sole party obstructing all attempts to reach an agreement," Hamas said in a statement. Trump, in his speech to the UN General Assembly earlier on Tuesday, said that Hamas was refusing to release the hostages held in Gaza or accept a ceasefire. The Palestinian territory has been devastated by the Israeli offensive launched in retaliation for the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel led by Islamist group Hamas.