‘Healthcare not bombs’: How Gaza shaped Adam Hamawy’s path to US Congress

Adam Hamawy has seen death, devastation and the effects of hate on others for decades – as a first responder after the September 11 attacks, while serving in Iraq as a United States military surgeon, and more recently, on trips to Gaza while it has suffered under Israel’s genocide.On Tuesday, he stood in front of supporters in Plainsboro, New Jersey, celebrating “hope” that he said he had gleaned from some of those victims of violence.“To the men, women and children of Gaza and Palestine: Your smiles give me the hope and the courage to fight for a better world,” said the Egyptian-American surgeon, set to become New Jersey’s first Muslim US congressman.It was the culmination of a winding path into politics for 56-year-old Hamawy, a US Army veteran and reconstructive surgeon who was one of eight Muslim Americans to win election races on Tuesday night, as Democrats took commanding control of both chambers of the US Congress.Hamawy entered politics after participating in medical missions to Gaza in 2024 and 2025, experiences he said made it impossible for him to return to normal life.He campaigned for New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District on a platform of “healthcare not bombs”, ple...