Hamas says Gaza is a "prison" - and it aims to keep it that way

Hamas minister Ghazi Hammad said that the continued closing of the Rafah crossing has converted Gaza into "a big prison."

One suggestion that had been made to help out at Rafah was to let the PA take over the crossing, as it did before the Hamas coup in Gaza, and according to existing agreements between Israel, the PA and the EU who had observers at the crossing. There were even rumors that an agreement had been reached. But Hamas rejected the idea, saying that this would put Israel in control of the crossing, which is unacceptable.

There was another report that the PA and Israel agreed to further open up the Erez crossing for Gazans who have a good reason to leave; they would be bused to Jericho and from there travel to Jordan and anywhere else in the world they need to go. (This might be an alternative for this Minnesota family stranded in Gaza.)

But Hamas rejected that as well:

The Hamas government in Gaza on Wednesday voiced its rejection to use the Erez crossing with Israel as an alternative to the Rafah terminal with Egypt after the latter was shut down following a deadly attack.

"The Palestinians can never accept the Erez crossing, which is under Israel's security control, as an alternative to the Rafah crossing," Ghazi Hammad, Hamas deputy foreign minister told a news conference in Gaza.

So Hamas is complaining that Gaza is a prison, but anything that might actually help Gazans escape the "prison" is unacceptable to Hamas.

If Gaza is a prison, then Hamas is the warden.