Children’s YouTube star, Rachel Griffin Accurso, known as Ms. Rachel, is under scrutiny after a 2025 video resurfaced. The video shows her referring to Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza as her “friend.” This comes days after Azaiza admitted withholding footage of Israeli hostages being beaten in Gaza on October 7, 2023.
In the short clip, Ms. Rachel introduces Azaiza to her young viewers while teaching them the letter “M.” She says, “Hi, yes, it’s M, for my friend, Motaz. Yay! Bye!” Previously shared on Instagram, the video has since been removed.
Azaiza gained millions of followers by documenting the Gaza conflict. Recently, he discussed the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack in an interview with journalist Ahmed al-Biqawi on the “Taqarrab” podcast. He described following a vehicle carrying Israeli captives and filming as people assaulted them. He chose not to publish the footage, fearing it could endanger the Palestinians involved.
“I saw the vehicle of the Al-Qassam Brigades, and there were Israeli captives there. People got out, watched, beat them, hit them, and I followed them and filmed. But I did not publish those videos. Why? Because I did not want to ruin the lives of the people who were filmed.” – Motaz Azaiza
Azaiza explained that sharing the footage could allow Israeli authorities to identify and act against the individuals depicted. He stated, “I understood that Israel would use those videos to identify every person who was there and eliminate them.”
Ms. Rachel has faced renewed scrutiny for her advocacy related to Gaza. She has accused celebrities of a racial double standard by remaining silent about Palestinian children suffering. She stated, “They probably would say something if these kids were White and from a different place. Please stop being racist and risk something.”
Elizabeth Barcohana, Jewish engagement chair for the California Republican Party, criticized Accurso’s Gaza activism. She claimed that Ms. Rachel was spreading misleading information to her audience, emotionally manipulating them.
Fox News reached out to Ms. Rachel for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
CJ Womack, associate editor at Fox News Digital, highlights the significance of journalism in shaping politics and culture. With a background in Political Science and Journalism, Womack continues to report and analyze media and cultural events.
Leave a Reply