Gallant pledged to senior American officials that he would not allow the establishment of settlements in Gaza. The head of the IDF's operations division, Oded Basiuk, told them The IDF will not allow civilians to enter the area.
The Biden administration is concerned that the buffer zone that the IDF is now establishing within the Gaza Strip will serve as a springboard for settlers to establish outposts or settlements in place of those evacuated in 2005. Concern in the American administration has been growing in recent weeks against the backdrop of increasing public pressure from the settler lobby and from members of the coalition.