Doctor Who Volunteered in Gaza Wins U.S. House Seat
Adam Hama wins Congressional seat for New Jersey
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
Dr. Adam Hamawy, who volunteered to work in the Gaza Strip, won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives after defeating his Republican opponent, Greg Milley, in New Jersey’s 12th congressional district, becoming the first Muslim and first Arab-American to represent the state in Congress.
According to preliminary results, Hamawy secured 70.18% of the vote after 93% of ballots were counted, as reported by The Associated Press.
Hamawy, a Democrat and former U.S. Army surgeon, partially built his campaign on his experience treating patients in conflict zones, including the Gaza Strip, where he participated in medical missions organized by the Palestinian American Medical Association and coordinated by the World Health Organization during 2024 and 2025, amid the Israeli occupation’s aggression on the Strip.
Hamawy, 57, served eight years as a surgeon in the U.S. Army, including a nine-month assignment at Combat Support Hospital 31 in Baghdad during the Iraq War.
He grew up in New Jersey after his family emigrated from Egypt when he was an infant. He studied at Rutgers University and its medical school, and later earned a Master of Business Administration from the same university. After completing his military service, he returned to New Jersey and established a private plastic surgery clinic in Princeton.
Hamawy’s electoral record includes positions calling for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel, and he has declared his opposition to providing U.S. military assistance to countries that violate human rights.
New Jersey’s 12th congressional district had been represented by Democratic Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman since 2015, but she announced in November 2025 that she would not seek re-election, leaving the seat vacant for the first time in over a decade.
With his victory, Hamawy becomes the first Muslim and first Arab-American elected to represent New Jersey in the House of Representatives. He will also be the second Egyptian-American to serve in Congress, following Democrat George Helmy, who was appointed to the Senate in 2024 after Bob Menendez’s resignation.
