Children’s YouTube Star Ms. Rachel Draws Scrutiny Over Links to Palestinian Photojournalist

Children’s YouTube star Ms. Rachel, known for teaching kids through her videos, faced renewed scrutiny after a 2025 video resurfaced. The video showed her introducing Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza as her “friend” to her audience. This comes days after Azaiza admitted to withholding footage of an incident involving Israeli hostages on October 7, 2023.

In the video, Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, teaches the letter “M” by saying, “Hi, yes, it’s M, for my friend, Motaz. Yay! Bye!” Azaiza appears in the short clip, offering a brief greeting.

Azaiza gained attention for his social media presence during the Gaza conflict. In a podcast interview in October 2023, he described filming Israeli captives being beaten by a crowd in Gaza. Azaiza chose not to release the footage, fearing it could endanger the lives of Palestinians involved.

He commented, “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.” Azaiza withheld the footage, stating, “I did not want to ruin the lives of the people who were filmed.”

Azaiza also criticized Hamas and discussed the limitations journalists faced in Gaza. Despite supporting armed Palestinian resistance, he noted the actions of Hamas did not always protect Palestinian lives.

His profile rose significantly during the war, with Time naming him one of the world’s 100 most influential people in 2024. Rabbi Yaakov Menken expressed concerns about Azaiza’s journalistic ethics, questioning the decision to withhold footage that could have brought perpetrators to justice.

Ms. Rachel, meanwhile, has become vocal regarding the situation in Gaza. She accused public figures of a racial double standard in their responses to Palestinian children, stating, “They probably would say something if these kids were White and from a different place.”

Elizabeth Barcohana, a Jewish engagement chair with California’s Republican Party, criticized Ms. Rachel’s activism. She claimed Ms. Rachel spread misleading information to her followers.

Fox News Digital reached out to Ms. Rachel for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

CJ Womack, an associate editor at Fox News, joined the team in 2026 and has extensive experience in media analysis and reporting. You can contact CJ with news tips at [email protected].