IDF Women

In Air Force first, IDF promotes woman to brigadier-general, appoints her Washington attaché

Col. 'G.,' whose full identity remains classified, commanded the Uvda Air Force base since May 2024 and had already broken new ground as the first female base chief in air force history.

Col. G, set to become the Israeli Air Force's first female brigadier-general, is seen in this undated image released by the IDF on July 14, 2026
Staff Sergeant Oren Metzuyanim, a 21-year-old lone soldier at the main rehearsal of the 78th anniversary Independence Day ceremony, held at Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, on April 19, 2026.

‘We're lone soldiers, but we're not lonely’: How the IDF supports fighters without families

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir seen on November 3, 2025

Several haredi rabbis protesting women in IDF tank units skip meeting with IDF chief Zamir

Female IDF soldiers work on a tank; illustrative.

Equality NGO Forum Dvorah slams hesder yeshivot boycott over women's integration in tank units


Editor's Notes: High Court ruling on women in tanks deepens religious divide in IDF - comment

Women who made history in tanks on Oct. 7 fought in all-female crews. Both camps in the Armored Corps dispute should be claiming that morning as a victory. Instead, both pretend it never happened.

DF armored forces at a staging area in southern Israel near the border with Gaza. January 01, 2024.

Tel Aviv Museum of Art gives voice to the female observers of Oct. 7

Ten testimonies were on display. There was no archival footage, no maps, no recreations – just faces. And yet the cumulative effect of an hour in that room was something closer to a reckoning.

THE EXHIBIT ‘Observation/The Field Observers of the Gaza Sector’ by Talya Lavie is currently on display at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

Under the radar: The program bringing ultra-Orthodox women into the IDF

Haredi women assist other like-minded women in joining the military, with exciting new avenues of exploration, and without compromising their way of life

Maj.-Gen. Amikam Norkin, former Israel Air Force commander, awards Esti Solomon the Above and Beyond medal for the program to integrate haredi women into the air force.

Captain Ella trades desk for the field as IDF's new Arab spokesperson

Lt. Col. Ella Waweya, aka ‘Captain Ella,’ was recently named as the next army spokesperson for the Arab world

Head of the Arabic media desk at the IDF Spokesperson Unit Major "Captain" Ella Waweya; highest ranked Arab Muslim IDF soldier. 20.7.2024.

Women's integration into IDF 'disaster': Rabbis send letter to Netanyahu demanding intervention

The letter came in response to the military’s new program, which would include women in the Armored Corps. It was written by leading rabbis in the religious Zionist sector.

 There is a high demand for combat roles among women in the November-December 2023 draft

Smotrich doubles down on refusal to enlist daughter, claims IDF is 'no place for women'

In an interview, Smotrich also addressed his comments on crime rates in Arab communities, saying, "There is a culture of murder, killing, and jihad in Arab society."

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich arrives to a conference of the Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon in Jerusalem, December 25, 2025

Finance Minister Smotrich says he won't educate his daughter to enlist in the IDF

The statement, made during a Religious Zionist Party Knesset press conference, comes as the government fast-tracks a haredi conscription bill.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (RZP) speaks at a Religious Zionist Party press conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem on February 16, 2026.

Supermajority of Israeli Arabs support re-establishing Joint List for Knesset elections, poll shows

A new poll by ArPanel reveals strong backing among Israeli Arabs for a unified Joint List, with 82% in favor and a clear preference for new candidates in the upcoming Knesset election.

Arab MK Ayman Odeh (at the plenum) and MK Ahmad Tibi (in the foreground) attend a Hadash-Ta'al faction meeting at the Knesset, February 2, 2026.

A new IDF face in Arabic exposes tensions in the Arab world - opinion

Who is expected to replace Col. Avichay Adraee? His deputy, Maj. Ella Wawiya, known in the Arab world as “Captain Ella.”

IDF's Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee poses for a picture at the Foreign Ministry, in Jerusalem, September 6, 2017

Israel's 'Captain Ella,' highest-ranking Muslim officer, named IDF's new Arabic spokeswoman

Major Ella Waweya, known as "Captain Ella," will replace Col. Avichay Adraee as the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, taking charge of Arabic outreach across platforms.

Maj. Ella Waweya, the new Arabic language spokesperson, pictured on July 7, 2024.