Hamas rejects Trump's accusation of blocking ceasefire efforts in Gaza

Hamas on Tuesday rejected US President Donald Trump's accusation that the Palestinian movement was blocking efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, news agency AFP reported. 

"Hamas has never been an obstacle to reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip... the US administration, mediators and the entire world know that the war criminal [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is the only one obstructing all attempts to reach an agreement," the movement said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, during his address to the UN General Assembly, the US president had stated that Hamas was refusing to release the hostages held in Gaza or to accept a ceasefire.