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Senior female Muslim officer tapped as next IDF Arabic-language spokesperson

13 11
03.02.2026

Maj. Ella Waweya was selected on Tuesday by the military to replace Col. Avichay Adraee as the Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic-language spokesperson.

Waweya, 36, who is known as “Captain Ella,” is among the most senior female Arab Muslim officers in the military.

She was born in the central Arab town of Qalansawe and joined the IDF voluntarily in 2013, initially hiding her service from her family.

Currently, Waweya serves as Adraee’s deputy and boasts more than half a million followers on TikTok and 170,000 on X.

Adraee, who served as the Arabic-language spokesman for the past 20 years, was set to retire.

Waweya would........

© The Times of Israel