Captain Ella

Captain Ella was born in 1989 in Qalansawe

Ella Waweya was born in Qalansawe on 16 October 1989 to a Muslim family. She finished high school at Atid School in her hometown.

She earned a BA with honors in communications from Netanya Academic College. She later earned an MA with honors in government and political marketing from the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya.

Before the army she worked in communications and hosted a radio show on Kol Netanya for 2 years. In 2010 she founded the "Shared Life" project, which brings Arabs and Jews together. In 2011 she did national service at Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba.

In 2013 she volunteered for the IDF as the first female soldier from the Triangle area, and at first kept her service from her family. She worked in the Arabic media section of the IDF Spokesperson's Unit and became an officer after the 2015 officers course. At the end of 2019 she made her service public and began the "Captain Ella" video series in Arabic.

In February 2026 she replaced Avichay Adraee as IDF Spokesperson for Arabic media and was promoted to lieutenant colonel. She posts Arabic content on social media, including TikTok and X.