Adam Hamawy, a former US Army combat surgeon who volunteered to treat patients in Gaza, has secured a historic election victory to the United States House of Representatives, reshaping political representation in the state of New Jersey.
According to reports from Middle East Eye, the 57-year-old Democrat successfully defeated Republican Gregg Mele. Through this electoral win, Hamawy will represent New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District in Washington. Both Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye noted that his groundbreaking victory marks a significant milestone, establishing him as the very first Muslim American and Egyptian-American ever elected to Congress from the state of New Jersey.
Hamawy's congressional election campaign centered heavily around key issues including Palestine, domestic healthcare access, and broader economic inequality. Middle East Eye reported that his political platform explicitly campaigned against military assistance to Israel as well as other foreign governments engaged in human rights violations. Furthermore, Hamawy has publicly condemned ongoing military actions, describing the war on Iran as "illegal and immoral," according to Middle East Eye.
Elaborating on his foreign policy stances during an interview conducted in May, Hamawy openly accused Washington of "catering to special interests of the defense contractors and war mongers and with organizations like AIPAC and Israel’s special interests," as cited by Middle East Eye.
Before entering the congressional race and achieving this political milestone, Hamawy undertook multiple medical missions directly to Gaza. According to Middle East Eye, these volunteer missions took place during 2024 and 2025. He served within the enclave through the Palestinian American Medical Association, operating with vital coordination from the World Health Organization to deliver necessary surgical care amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
The convergence of his medical background as a combat surgeon and his direct humanitarian experiences witnessing the situation inside Gaza profoundly shaped his public platform. His campaign slogan and overarching message of prioritizing "healthcare not bombs" resonated strongly with voters in his district, propelling his historic campaign from the operating rooms of foreign conflict zones and medical missions straight to the halls of the United States Congress.
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