[13] On the morning of 7 October, at 6:30 AM local time, the Zikim training base was struck with what its commander called an "insane volley" of rockets, concurrent with the heavy artillery barrages targeting Sderot and other communities across the Gaza envelope signaling the commencement of Operation al-Aqsa Flood.

[1] In response to the surprise bombardment, new recruits on patrol duty at the base's perimeter fence were immediately sequestered in safe areas and replaced by junior officers by 6:36.

Inside the outpost, two soldiers died and several were injured in intermittent clashes that lasted for twelve hours, though Hamas never breached the base's command post.

[7] Combat on the Zikim training base began at 7:30, when patrol teams at two separate locations spotted militants and reported incoming fire.

A sentry post at the base's firing range was overrun once its defenders ran out of ammunition after 45 minutes of clashes; four officers were killed and two wounded in its defense.

[6] According to Israeli sources, 19 civilian beachgoers were killed; the deceased included fishermen, teenagers on a camping trip, and a group that had a beach party the previous night.

[7] After the assaults on the military bases, Sayeret Maglan and Shayetet 13 forces secured the area, deployed along the Gaza border fence, and assisted in the evacuation of civilians and recruits.

[1] Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant made similar comments about the garrison of Yiftach camp, saying they "obtained life for the civilians who live a bit further away.

"[19] Fighting at Zikim beach on 7 October is notable for involving the first-ever use of the Israeli Eitan AFV in combat, which was originally scheduled to have been put into operation in 2024.

The successful use of the vehicle at Zikim beach prompted Tamir Yadai, head of IDF Ground Forces Command, to integrate the Eitan into plans for the invasion of the Gaza Strip.

[17] On 10 November 2023, the IDF announced that Ahmed Musa, a company commander in the Nukhba unit who was among the leaders of the attack, was killed in a raid by Israeli ground forces in Jabaliya.

[22] On 10 October, the IDF's official Hebrew-language Twitter account claimed that troops from the Bislamach Brigade's 17th Battalion had clashed with Hamas militants in the Zikim beach area, killing four.

[27] On 16 October, reports cited by the Institute for the Study of War suggested that two militants from the Gaza Strip infiltrated the coastline west of Zikim, and were subsequently killed by an IDF helicopter.