Controversy Surrounds Children’s YouTube Star and Journalist’s Revelations

Children’s YouTube personality Ms. Rachel faced renewed scrutiny after an older video from 2025 resurfaced. In it, she refers to Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza as her “friend.” This came to light following Azaiza’s admission of withholding footage showing Israeli hostages being assaulted in Gaza on October 7, 2023.

In the clip, Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, introduces Azaiza while teaching her young audience the letter “M.” The video was initially shared on Instagram and was later removed following reports in July 2025.

Azaiza has gained a large following on social media by documenting the Gaza conflict. In a detailed interview with journalist Ahmed al-Biqawi on the “Taqarrab” podcast, Azaiza spoke about the incidents he witnessed during the terrorist attacks led by Hamas on October 7. He described recording footage of Israeli captives being beaten but decided not to publish it to protect Palestinians from potential retaliation.

Azaiza explained, “I followed a vehicle carrying Israeli captives and filmed the scenes. But I did not share those videos. I feared it would endanger the Palestinians involved.”

He added, “Israel could use these videos to identify and eliminate the individuals shown.” This raised concerns about his journalistic ethics from various quarters, including Rabbi Yaakov Menken, executive vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values.

Meanwhile, Ms. Rachel has been vocal about her political views regarding Gaza. Recently, she criticized public figures for their silence on the plight of Palestinian children, accusing them of racial bias.

Critics, like Elizabeth Barcohana from the California Republican Party, expressed concern that Ms. Rachel was spreading false information to her substantial audience.

Efforts to reach Ms. Rachel for her response were unsuccessful.