Ella Waweya
Lt. Col. Ella Waweya is the IDF's Arabic-language spokesperson, serving as a primary voice for Israeli military communications directed at the Arab world. She is responsible for issuing critical security directives, including civilian evacuation warnings in Lebanon and Gaza, and exposing intelligence regarding the activities of terror organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
Lt. Col. Ella Waweya holds a pivotal role within the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, specifically leading the Arabic-language communications desk. Her position is central to Israel's strategic communication efforts, bridging the gap between Israeli military operations and the civilian populations in adversarial territories. Waweya's public profile is defined by her direct appeals to residents in conflict zones, often providing life-saving instructions to evacuate areas targeted for counter-terror operations. In August 2026, Waweya was the official voice behind the first urgent evacuation warning issued for a southern Lebanese village, Al-Mansouri, since the June truce. This directive followed a series of ceasefire violations by Hezbollah, illustrating her role in managing the immediate security interface with Lebanese civilians. Beyond tactical warnings, Waweya serves as a key analyst of terror group behavior. In late 2025 and 2026, she revealed significant intelligence assessments regarding Hamas's internal governance in the Gaza Strip. This included exposing a surge in the interrogation and torture of Gazan civilians by Hamas operatives following the October 2025 ceasefire. By publicizing these findings—which detailed arbitrary arrests and violence conducted from hospitals and schools—Waweya highlights the exploitation of civilian infrastructure by terror factions. Her work is a critical component of Israeli national resilience, ensuring that the IDF's security-first mission is articulated clearly to regional audiences while countering the narratives of the IRGC-backed axis.