Children's YouTube sensation Ms. Rachel responds to backlash over Gaza advocacy: “It’s sad that people try to make it controversial"

Beloved kids' content creator Rachel Griffin Accurso, more widely known as Ms. Rachel, has broken her silence about the backlash she has received for speaking out about Gaza's humanitarian crisis.

In an emotional conversation with journalist Mehdi Hasan for his independent platform Zeteo on May 12, 2025, Accurso addressed the criticism thrown at her online.

While her YouTube channel associated with the series Songs for Littles, which boasts over 14 million subscribers, teaches young children basic words, songs, and educational skills, her social media presence has evolved into something more advocacy-driven.

She told Hasan:

“It’s sad that people try to make it controversial when you speak out for children that are facing immeasurable suffering.”

Accurso has come under fire from some pro-Israel groups and critics, including StopAntisemitism, which recently appealed for a probe into whether she is being funded by a foreign group to share “anti-Israel propaganda.”

The organization also tagged her as an “amplifier of Hamas propaganda,” and accused her of sharing false statistics and images from Gaza.

Accurso did not directly respond to the allegations in the interview, but she firmly rejected the notion that her advocacy is rooted in antisemitism.

“I’ve been blessed to get this platform. And kids feel that I care about them all deeply, and that’s why I have the platform. Because they feel it through the screen, because it’s genuine.”

She continued:

“And kids know when things aren’t genuine. And that care doesn’t end with the kids that are watching, or any kids.”

Ms. Rachel partnered with humanitarian organization Save the Children to raise awareness

A mother of two and an educator with a background in early childhood development, the content creator explained how her concern for children in Gaza stems from her knowledge of how conflict and trauma affect young minds.

But more than anything, she said, her actions are guided by empathy.

Since partnering with humanitarian nonprofit Save the Children, Accurso said she has become more aware of the realities facing children in crisis zones globally, from the U.S. to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Gaza.

She acknowledged the horror of Hamas’ October 7 attack, but also expressed deep concern over what she described as “distressing, horrific images” from Gaza. According to her, these visuals compelled her to raise awareness.

In 2024, Accurso tearfully revealed in an Instagram reel that she was being bullied online after hosting a fundraiser for Save the Children’s emergency fund for kids in conflict zones including Gaza, the Congo, Sudan, and Ukraine. She wrote in her caption:

“I care for Palestinian children, Israeli children, children in the US — Muslim, Jewish, Christian children — all children, in every country. Not one is excluded.”

In Monday’s interview, she echoed the same message:

“The idea that caring for a group of children in an emergency situation means you don’t care about other children is false. And I just don’t understand it.”

She went on:

“Our compassion doesn’t have boundaries or borders. We just love kids.”

Meanwhile, Accurso has continued using her platform this year to spotlight individual stories from Gaza, including those of a 3-year-old who lost her legs in an airstrike, and the late Hind Rajab, a Palestinian girl whose tragic death reached international attention.

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