TRENTON — Adam Hamawy, a trauma surgeon and U.S. Army veteran, launched his campaign for New Jersey’s 12th congressional district after returning from a 2024 medical mission in Gaza where he was trapped for nearly three weeks following the closure of the Rafah border crossing by Israeli forces. During that mission, he operated at the European Hospital in Khan Younis while the city was under bombardment.

Hamawy described what he witnessed in Gaza as a “US-funded genocide.” “I could only define it as a genocide, because I saw the bodies of the people that came in,” Hamawy said. “And it wasn’t an accident. You can’t have an accident, every single day for three years.” He added, “When the hospital shakes and I see the bodies come in, I’m paying for it with my tax dollars. I don’t want my tax dollars doing that.”

His campaign began after Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman announced her retirement. Hamawy, who was deployed to Iraq as a combat surgeon and was part of the team that saved Senator Tammy Duckworth’s life, has since received endorsements from Duckworth, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ilhan Omar. American Priorities, a pro-Palestinian Super PAC, has pledged $2 million in television advertising for his campaign.

Hamawy advocates for Medicare for All, an arms embargo and sanctions on Israel, the abolition of ICE, the cancellation of medical and student debt, the dismantling of the Department of Homeland Security, and the federal codification of abortion rights. “We’re told we don’t have enough money for Medicare for All,” he said. “But at the same time we just started another war. We have plenty of money for the bombs.”

Hamawy has raised more than $1 million, the most among the 12 candidates in the Democratic primary. His fundraising was fueled by small donors in Muslim and Arab American communities. If elected, he would be New Jersey’s first Muslim lawmaker to represent the state nationally.