Beloved children’s YouTube star Ms. Rachel broke her silence on Thursday to defend her posts about the kids suffering in Gaza after an antisemitism group accused her of acting as an agent for Hamas to the Justice Department.
Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, shared a poem on Instagram referencing the allegations levied against her by StopAntisemitism, which penned a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month to investigate the YouTuber.
“Children have human rights. These rights are not just for some children, they are for all children. Standing up for children, especially those who are most vulnerable, is the right thing to do,” Accurso, 42, wrote.
“All children have the right to food, water, medical care and education. All children should be protected from violence,” she added in a caption.
The post was the first time Accurso spoke publicly about the allegations, with StopAntisemitism claiming her messages over the suffering in Gaza are anti-Israel and are meant to inspire pro-Hamas sympathies among young kids.
The group ultimately claimed Accurso served as an agent for Hamas, citing several posts on her social media accounts condemning the war in Gaza’s effects on Palestinian children.
StopAntisemitism, however, provided no public evidence to support claims that Accurso was working for Hamas to spread propaganda, with all of their allegations against the YouTuber refuted by various reports from media outlets and the United Nations.
Among the objectionable content, according to the group, are viral images of a child with protruding limbs depicting starvation in the enclave. StopAntisemitism claimed those images were debunked, with the child not suffering starvation, but instead suffering from cystic fibrosis.
Fadi al-Zant, the child in question, however, was suffering from both cystic fibrosis and starvation, his mother told the Washington Post. He became a widely shared symbol for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza before he was evacuated and treated.
StopAntisemitism also objected to Ms. Rachel sharing the death toll provided by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, which does not differentiate between terrorists and civilians.
The group alleges that the estimates that nearly 15,000 children have died in the war were debunked, accusing the children’s star of spreading misinformation.
While Israel disputes the figure, the UN has reported similar death tolls as well.
Accurso, a teacher who resides in New York City and whose husband is Broadway music director and composer Aron Accurso, has repeatedly defended herself since coming under criticism last year for launching a fundraiser for children living in war zones, including Gaza.
Despite the claims that her advocacy is one-sided, Accurso has repeatedly addressed the suffering for children in both Israel and Gaza, with the YouTuber mourning the deaths of Israeli hostages Ariel and Kfir Bibas in February, the youngest captives who were taken during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.
The DOJ confirmed that it did receive the letter from StopAntisemitism about Accurso, but declined to comment further.