Lt. Col. Ella Waweya takes over as the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, replacing Col. Avichay Adraee, who served in the role for the past 20 years.
Waweya, 36, who is known as “Captain Ella,” is now the highest-ranking female Arab Muslim officer in the military, following her promotion to lieutenant colonel.
She served as Adraee’s deputy in recent years.
A handover ceremony took place a short while ago at the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit’s headquarters in Tel Aviv.
The military says Adraee will continue to assist the unit “in routine and emergency situations in the capacity of an advisor and, in the near term, will continue to operate the social media accounts under his name, with an emphasis on conveying messages during operational events.”
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 15, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
