Ms. Rachel Faces Scrutiny Over Past Comments on Gaza Conflict

Children's entertainer Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, has come under renewed scrutiny due to a resurfaced video where she calls Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza her "friend." The video gained traction days after Azaiza admitted he deliberately withheld footage showing Israeli hostages being assaulted during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Gaza.

The short clip, originally shared on Instagram and later removed, appears to show Ms. Rachel introducing Azaiza to her young audience while teaching the letter 'M.' "Hi, yes, it’s M, for my friend, Motaz. Yay! Bye!" Accurso said in the video.

Azaiza, who gained a significant following by documenting the war in Gaza, recently discussed his experiences on the Arabic-language podcast "Taqarrab." He recounted following a vehicle carrying Israeli captives and filming as a crowd attacked them. However, he stated he did not publish this specific video, fearing it could put the Palestinians involved at risk of identification and retaliation by Israeli authorities.

"I saw the vehicle of the Al-Qassam Brigades, and there were Israeli captives there," Azaiza said. "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."

Azaiza further explained his decision, stating, "I understood that Israel would use those videos to identify every person who was there and eliminate them. I did not want to be responsible, even indirectly, for the deaths of those people in exchange for a few likes and views online."

Azaiza, named one of Time's 100 most influential people in 2024 for his Gaza photography, also offered criticisms of Hamas, citing restrictions faced by journalists and suggesting that dissent against the group could lead to retaliation. He expressed disappointment with Hamas's actions, stating they had not protected Palestinians in Gaza and were making people dislike the resistance.

Rabbi Yaakov Menken, executive vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, criticized Azaiza's journalistic judgment and his decision to withhold the footage. "After years spent claiming to share what was happening in Gaza ‘unfiltered,’ Azaiza revealed that he hid footage — not, per journalistic norms, to protect victims from further harm, but because he didn't want Israel to arrest the perpetrators," Menken said.

Accurso has become more vocal regarding the Gaza conflict. Last week, she accused celebrities who remained silent about Palestinian children of exhibiting a racial double standard, suggesting they would speak out if the children were White. "They probably would say something if these kids were White and from a different place," Accurso stated. "Please stop being racist and risk something."

Elizabeth Barcohana, the California Republican Party’s Jewish engagement chair, expressed concern that Accurso's advocacy was spreading misinformation to her young audience. "Ms. Rachel is essentially sanitizing terrorism with false and misleading information to emotionally manipulate her very impressionable following and those around her in her industry," Barcohana commented.

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