Gaza playwright Ali Abu Yasin named English PEN Writer of Courage 2026

English PEN has named 62-year-old Gaza playwright Ali Abu Yasin of al-Shati refugee camp its 'Writer of Courage 2026.' Nominated by 2026 PEN Pinter Prize winner Jacqueline Rose, Yasin stopped writing plays after October 2023 to write about life under Israeli bombardment, carrying hidden screenplays through displacement. He said his house was bombed.