Palestinian band escapes horrors of war but members’ futures remain uncertain

By LUJAIN JO
Associated Press

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — They stroll Doha’s waterfront promenade and sing softly about children who are now free of pain. For the Palestinian group Sol Band, it seems surreal that weeks ago they were hiding from Israeli shelling. Five of the band’s seven musicians returned to Gaza in August to work on their next album.  But on Oct. 7, Hamas, along with other militants, attacked southern Israel. Israel retaliated with a military campaign that leveled large swaths of Gaza and killed more than 35,000 people, according to the territory’s health ministry. In April, the five bandmates were able to leave Gaza via Egypt to Qatar.