Colorado native reporting on the front lines in Israel
DENVER (KDVR) — A reporter covering the loss of life in the Israel neighborhoods attacked by Hamas is local to Colorado.
Nicole Zedeck, a Steamboat Springs native, was one of the first reporters to confirm babies and young children were among the dead, some of them brutally murdered.
Denver man’s family members taken hostage by Hamas
Zedeck said she’s never covered anything like the Hamas attack, because Israel has never experienced anything like it before. She lives in Tel Aviv, so she’s missed a lot of the major warfare, but it still hit close to where she lives.
Not even a few hours after FOX31 ended a conversation with Zedeck early Friday morning, a direct rocket was reported in Rehovot, with Hamas restarting fire on the Tel Aviv area where Zedeck lives. Thankfully, though, she seems to be safe.
“Central Israel has been under attack, a rocket falling about two blocks away from my apartment. Luckily, that’s one of the few rockets that has hit Tel Aviv, because Israel does have the Iron Dome missile defense system, and so there are many different interceptions,” Zedeck said.
Covering the bloodshed in Israel-Hamas war
Zedeck moved to Israel eight months ago for the national correspondent job at i24News. She’s covered other conflicts in Israel, but she said no one saw this one coming.
“I woke up to my phone just alert after alert after alert — rocket sirens, red alerts in the south — and it’s just like, what’s happening? And then we realize that that’s just minor, as the thousands of rockets were being fired into Israel … and we now know possibly more than 2,500 terrorists were able to infiltrate into Israel,” Zedeck said.
The horror is something she said is unimaginable, with gruesome stories being shared by her news team.
“Just yesterday on i24, we spoke to one of the first responders who said as he was clearing out dead bodies, he found one of a pregnant woman who was shot in the head, her stomach cut open, the baby still attached by the umbilical cord, and the unborn child was stabbed,” Zedeck said.
She said it’s been extremely difficult to cover the war but knows it’s important that people see what is going on. She’s thankful, though, for her family back in the U.S. and their support.
“All of my friends and family continue to watch in Steamboat Springs, all of this coverage, and I think that’s what makes it worth it — that people are watching, they are tuning in and are seeing what’s happening here. It’s difficult to report on, but I know I have so much support,” Zedeck said.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com.
