Reaching their destination in May 1940, the battalion joined the 17th Brigade's two other infantry battalions – the &lt;a href="2/5th%20Battalion%20%28Australia%29"&gt;2/5th&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="2/6th%20Battalion%20%28Australia%29"&gt;2/6th&lt;/a&gt; – at Beit Jirja, in the Julius–Gaza area. From there, the battalion engaged in further training in Palestine and Egypt until the Australians went into battle for the first time in early January 1941 as the British went on the offensive against the Italians in North Africa. The 2/7th later saw action at Bardia, where it formed the divisional reserve in the initial phase before attacking south through the gap established by the 2/5th towards the railway switchline, and Tobruk, where the 2/7th attacked the eastern sector. Later, the battalion undertook garrison duties in Libya, establishing itself around Marsa Brega. The fighting in Libya cost the battalion 20 dead, including 15 killed in action, 75 wounded and one captured.