Zikim attack
[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.[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.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.