JERUSALEM (VINnews)-Maj. Ella Waweya, known widely as “Captain Ella,” has been selected to replace Col. Avichay Adraee as the Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic-language spokesperson, the military announced.

Waweya, one of the most senior female Arab Muslim officers in the IDF, currently serves as Adraee’s deputy and heads the Arabic communications desk in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. She enlisted in 2013 and has risen through the ranks in the unit.

She will be promoted to lieutenant colonel upon assuming the role. A handover ceremony is expected in the coming weeks.

Adraee, who held the position for approximately 20 years since 2005, is set to retire from the military.

Waweya, 36, a Muslim Arab from Qalansawe, is the highest-ranking Muslim Arab woman in the IDF. She is recognized for her trailblazing service, including receiving awards such as the President’s Award of Excellence, and for her outreach efforts via social media and Arabic-language platforms, where she is popularly known as “Captain Ella.”

Her appointment marks a historic step in the IDF’s Arabic outreach, placing a Muslim officer in the prominent public-facing role long held by Adraee, who became a familiar figure across the Arab world through his frequent statements and social media activity.