Adam Hamawy
Hamawy, a combat surgeon who volunteered in Gaza, campaigned for a complete end to U.S. military aid and arms sales to Israel including Iron Dome funding. On winning his primary he said: "I ran on health care, not bombs."
Hamawy is the Democratic candidate for New Jersey's 12th District, a trauma surgeon who served as a volunteer at the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis and who won a crowded June 2026 primary to succeed the retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman.
Asked what carried the primary, he told NJ Spotlight News: "I ran on health care, not bombs. Unrigging the economy and abolishing ICE."
His position on U.S. assistance is unusually far-reaching. JTA describes him as "an opponent of Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system and a supporter of a complete arms embargo and the right of return for Palestinian refugees." That is the outlet's summary rather than his own words, and it matches what the research reports of his platform: an immediate and complete end to all U.S. military aid and arms sales to Israel, explicitly including missile defence.
In May 2024, while working at the hospital in Khan Younis, he called on the United States to halt arms sales to Israel, citing the civilian casualties and the injuries to children he was treating.
He has faced scrutiny over having provided testimony in the case of a convicted militant cleric. He addressed it directly: NJ Spotlight News reports him saying "of course I condemned his rhetoric and actions," and JTA reports him saying he finds antisemitism "abhorrent."
He has no federal voting record.
Research
U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel
- [Position, 2026-06-03] JTA, opened and confirmed word for word, describes him as "an opponent of Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system and a supporter of a complete arms embargo and the right of return for Palestinian refugees." **That is the outlet's characterization, not a quotation of him**, and the card presents it as such.
- [Position, 2026, reported] His campaign platform called for an immediate and complete end to all U.S. military aid and arms sales to Israel, explicitly including funding for missile defence systems. His about page was opened; no verbatim platform span on this subject was extracted from it, so the platform position is recorded as the research turns up it.
- [Position, 2024-05-17, reported] While volunteering as a combat surgeon at the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis, called on the United States to halt arms sales and stop sending weapons to Israel, citing civilian casualties and injuries to children he was treating (Washington Post). Not opened.
- [Position, 2026-04, reported] In an interview on a political streamer's show he opposed U.S. funding for Iron Dome, comparing it to giving a "bully body armor to go bully people some more" and arguing that military pressure should cease so that "they feel the effects of war, and then they'll stop." **The only source the research supplies is an opinion blog post on the Times of Israel blogs platform, cited twice, whose own headline applies a label to him.** The phrases were not located in the opened JTA or NJ Spotlight pieces, an opinion blog is a weak source for a quotation, and under the standing ruling of 2026-08-12 this site does not repeat labels. Recorded as reported; not quoted.
- He has no federal voting record.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- [Position, 2026, as reported and JTA] Support for the right of return for Palestinian refugees, per JTA's characterization above. No separate statement located on U.S. humanitarian funding.
Characterization of the conflict
- [Position, 2026-06-10] NJ Spotlight News, opened and confirmed word for word: "I ran on health care, not bombs. Unrigging the economy and abolishing ICE," and "Democrats are looking for candidates who will be bold fighters and will call out this rigged system."
- His clinical experience in Gaza is the stated basis for his position, as reported and the Washington Post piece.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- Nothing located naming a pro-Israel organisation.
Safety and antisemitism (context)
- [2026-05-30 and 2026-06-10] He has faced scrutiny over having provided testimony in the case of a convicted militant cleric (Times of Israel, NJ Spotlight News). **He addressed it directly**, and both his responses are recorded here: NJ Spotlight News's subheading quotes him saying "of course I condemned his rhetoric and actions," confirmed verbatim, and JTA reports that he "finds antisemitism 'abhorrent'," also confirmed.
Recorded per §3.7, which keeps the record, and under the standing ruling of 2026-08-12, which requires describing behaviour rather than repeating labels. The Times of Israel headline applies a label; it is not repeated here. The underlying testimony was not examined and is not characterised.
Consulted
- Ballotpedia, cited twice; Wikipedia; his about page (opened).
Also in this race: Gregg Mele (Republican) · All New Jersey candidates.
See the full record →But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. Every claim on this page goes through at least two verification steps. Open the interactive card for votes, funding and contact details.