It has been reported that the departing British ambassador to Jerusalem blamed Israeli policy for making Hamas stronger in Gaza in a farewell interview this week.

The blockade of Gaza created a "Hamas-controlled tunnel economy," Tom Phillips, who will next become ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told The Jerusalem Post. The destruction of the private economy has meant the only role models are Hamas functionaries and militants, he said.

Phillips said, "Although one understood all the political pressures that were leading Israel to that situation, the fact is, it was causing significant humanitarian concerns. Also it was creating, in psychological terms, another generation of people that are not going to feel that friendly about Israel."

It has further been reported that Phillips spoke to the Post on Wednesday, a day after Prime Minister David Cameron, on a trip to Turkey, described Gaza as a "prison camp." The Anti-Defamation League accused Cameron of "inflammatory rhetoric," while the British Zionist Federation said Gaza residents have a better life than people in Turkey. (With Inputs from Agencies)