NJ Doctor Trapped In Palestine Safely Evacuated: Watson Coleman

PRINCETON, NJ — Dr. Adam Hamawy, a cosmetic surgeon who was trapped in Palestine after entering as part of a medical and humanitarian aid mission, was safely evacuated earlier today, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman said.

Hamawy is an NJ resident and has his practice in Princeton.

“I thank God that Dr. Hamawy has been safely evacuated from Gaza,” Watson Coleman said in a statement.

“I am deeply relieved, and I know his family are even more so. I’m grateful to our partners in the State Department, U.S. Embassy in Israel, and Senator Duckworth’s office, for working around the clock to secure his safe passage home to New Jersey.

Hamawy is a former U.S. Combat Surgeon. He served in Iraq and is known for saving the life of Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) in 2004 after the Blackhawk helicopter she was piloting was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in Iraq.

Duckworth credits Hamawy for saving her life.

"Beyond relieved that Dr. Hamawy—and his entire team—safely left Gaza today and that he will be able to see his family again soon," Duckworth said on platform X.

Seventeen of 20 doctors stuck in Gaza departed on Friday after talks between U.S. and Israeli authorities allowed doctors to leave. But Hamawy turned down the offer as he didn't want to leave his colleagues behind, his family said.

“He was given a choice to leave his team behind or stay with them. He’s a veteran and he has been trained not to leave any American behind. So, he stayed,” according to his brother-in-law Nidal Hozien.

Since then, his family and peers have urged government officials to help bring Hamawy and other healthcare workers back home.

“Now the most important thing is that the medical team that has been waiting in Egypt to relieve Dr. Hamawy be allowed into Gaza to administer humanitarian aid to the countless innocent civilians still trapped there, who so desperately need it," Watson Coleman said.

Hamawy was part of a team from the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA), that entered Rafah on May 1 to provide emergency medical relief services at the European Hospital under the umbrella of the World Health Organization (WHO).

“There must be an immediate and lasting ceasefire, so negotiators can secure the release of the hostages and an end to the violence," Watson Coleman said. "I am so grateful for Dr. Hamawy’s safe return, and will continue to pray for peace.”

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