Adam Hamawy, an Egyptian-American surgeon who treated wounded Palestinians in Gaza, won a US House seat in New Jersey on 3 November, becoming the state's first Muslim elected to Congress.
The 57-year-old Democrat defeated Republican lawyer Gregg Mele in New Jersey's 12th Congressional District, succeeding retiring Democratic Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman.
Election data published by Decision Desk HQ showed Hamawy receiving 70.18% of the vote, compared with Mele's 28.32%, with approximately 95% of votes counted in an update early on 4 November.
His victory came during a nationwide Democratic surge that delivered control of both chambers of Congress to the party, according to the Associated Press.
Hamawy entered politics after decades as a military and humanitarian surgeon, including medical missions to Gaza during Israel's war in the Palestinian territory.
Speaking about his experience in Gaza in an interview cited by The Daily Princetonian, Hamawy said: "I've been to Iraq. I know the horrors of war, but what I witnessed was a genocide."
He said witnessing the injuries suffered by children and civilians had convinced him that he needed to enter Congress and speak publicly about what he had seen.
From Gaza hospitals to Washington
Hamawy joined an international medical team at the European Hospital in southern Gaza in May 2024, treating patients as the territory's healthcare system struggled under the pressure of Israel's military offensive.
The team became stranded after Israeli forces seized the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, preventing its members from leaving Gaza.
Among those who intervened was Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, whose life Hamawy had helped save while serving as a US Army surgeon in Iraq in 2004.
Duckworth had been seriously wounded when the helicopter in which she was travelling was shot down during the Iraq War.
According to The Daily Princetonian, Hamawy declined an opportunity to leave Gaza without his colleagues. He eventually departed alongside the remaining members of the medical team after approximately two weeks.
He returned to Gaza on another humanitarian medical mission in 2025.
His experience became central to a congressional campaign focused on US foreign policy, healthcare and economic inequality.
Opposition to US military support for Israel
Hamawy has called for an end to American weapons sales and military assistance to Israel, arguing that US support should not be extended to countries responsible for human rights violations.
He has also opposed the US war with Iran, describing it as "illegal and immoral" in an interview with the New Jersey Monitor in May.
His foreign policy positions placed him among progressive Democrats who have challenged Washington's longstanding military relationship with Israel.
The Daily Princetonian reported that Hamawy supports abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and has advocated Medicare for All, universal childcare, tuition-free public colleges and higher taxes on billionaires.
His campaign also received support from prominent progressive figures, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Ro Khanna, according to Politico reporting cited by Asharq Al-Awsat.
An Egyptian-American political milestone
Hamawy grew up in New Jersey after his family emigrated from Egypt when he was an infant.
He studied medicine at Rutgers University and later obtained a master's degree in business administration.
Before entering politics, he served eight years as a US Army surgeon, including a nine-month deployment to Baghdad, and subsequently established a private plastic surgery practice in Princeton.
His humanitarian medical work has taken him to countries including Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Jordan, Turkey, Bosnia and Haiti.
New Jersey has an Arab-American population estimated at approximately 179,000, while Hamawy's congressional district includes around 11,000 Arab Americans, according to figures attributed to the Arab American Institute.
He will replace Watson Coleman, who has represented the district since 2015 and announced in 2025 that she would not seek another term.
The district has long been a Democratic stronghold, making Hamawy's general election victory widely expected after he secured the party's nomination.
Nationally, Democrats also won control of the Senate and House of Representatives in the 3 November midterm elections, according to the Associated Press.
The new congressional majorities will give Democrats greater power to challenge President Donald Trump's legislative agenda, scrutinise his administration and influence federal spending.
Hamawy is expected to take office when the new Congress convenes on 3 January 2027.
