On Monday, the popular American children’s content creator, Ms Rachel, explained her decision to speak up for the children of Gaza, saying that the real controversy lies in remaining silent over their suffering.
In a conversation with British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan, she reflected on the pressure to stay quiet and said: “I think it should be controversial to not say anything.”
Rachel Griffin Accurso, best known for her YouTube series Songs for Littles, which teaches toddlers nursery rhymes and early learning concepts to an audience of 14.7 million subscribers. She has also used her social media platforms to speak out about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza that has unfolded since Israel launched its military campaign after the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on the southern part of the country.
Accurso criticised the backlash she’s received for supporting children in crisis, expressing disbelief that speaking up for children enduring immense hardship could be seen as controversial. She questioned why advocating for these children is met with resistance.
In a statement last month, the pro-Israel organisation StopAntisemitism urged attorney general Pam Bondi to look into whether Accurso is receiving foreign funding to promote anti-Israel messaging aimed at influencing public sentiment. The group accused her of spreading Hamas propaganda, alleging that some of the figures and images she’s posted about children in Gaza are inaccurate.
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On social media, StopAntisemitism said that Ms Rachel had become “an amplifier of Hamas propaganda” since October 2023, sharing content to her over 20 million followers that included an allegedly misrepresented “‘starving child’ from Gaza photo”, and statistics they called false regarding Palestinian child casualties.
“It’s sad that people try to make it controversial when you speak out for children that are facing immeasurable suffering,” said Accurso, speaking to Hassan.
The content creator pushed back against claims that expressing concern for children in Gaza means disregarding others, explaining that such a viewpoint is deeply misguided.
“Our compassion doesn’t have boundaries, our borders. We just love kids,” she said.
Social media users have praised and celebrated Ms Rachel’s interview and her compassionate words for Palestinian children.
“𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜” – Ms. Rachel.
No amount of trolling and smear attacks by pro-Israeli fanatics can stop Ms. Rachel from speaking up for Palestinian children enduring the most visible #genocide. pic.twitter.com/8q0Hy58IuK— Nusaybah (@hate_stopper) May 12, 2025
Many suggested that by amplifying the voices of the Palestinian children, Ms Rachel is doing more than any elected official.
Literally by just doing an extended interview Ms Rachel has done more than almost any other elected official or celebrity when it comes to Gaza. https://t.co/KktyccXwrX
— dann0bann0 (@dann0bann0) May 13, 2025
In the interview, Accurso rejected claims that she is antisemitic simply because she speaks out for the lives of children in Palestine. She said that as an educator, her sympathy extends to all children, wherever they are in the world.
Accurso also said that she still remembered the voice of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who pleaded for help for hours, trapped inside a car with her dead family before she was killed by the Israeli military.
“There are multiple moments I can’t forget. There was a little boy who was really shocked, and he was shaking. There was so much terror in his eyes. A healthcare worker was being so compassionate, you see that compassion. He finally was able to cry because [he] was just so shocked that he couldn’t even cry.”
Ms Rachel received widespread praise by social media users, who said “it would have been so easy to not say anything”.
Hard to overstate the impact of people with politics-free platforms, like Ms. Rachel, speaking out about Israel’s genocide on Gaza. Would’ve been so easy for her to not say anything. https://t.co/FhdDoFLRg9
— David Doel (@daviddoel) May 12, 2025
Israeli forces have killed more than 52,800 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since the war on the enclave began, including at least 15,000 children.
An estimated 10,000 more people are missing and presumed dead, while nearly 120,000 have been wounded.
