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The Dangerous Direction of Ms. Rachel’s Pro-Palestinian Misinformation
Ms. Rachel. Photo: YouTube Screenshot.
Rachel Griffin-Accurso is a familiar face in millions of American households.
The 42-year-old YouTube star has more than 16 million subscribers, and one of her most-watched videos has clocked over 1.5 billion views – more than the entire population of China. She’s a powerhouse in the children’s educational entertainment sector and a multi-million-dollar brand, with a personal net worth estimated above $10 million.
To her legions of tiny viewers—most under the age of three—she’s simply Ms. Rachel: dungaree-clad, with a friendly sing-song voice and catchy tunes designed to help toddlers learn their first words. Parents are assured by her “Toddler Learning Videos” channel, where the content uses “techniques recommended by speech therapists and early childhood experts” to help children meet key milestones. Ms. Rachel promises “interactive, high-quality screen time” that parents can trust.
But in recent months, Griffin-Accurso has become just as vocal about the war in Gaza as she is about nursery rhymes – pushing what she calls her “advocacy for Palestinian children” to her 3.6 million Instagram followers and beyond.
Her posts have accused Israel of “genocide,” amplified the infamous and debunked image of a supposedly “starving” Palestinian child (later revealed to suffer from a congenital condition), and promoted the work of her “friend” Motaz Azaiza – a Palestinian photojournalist who has called for “resistance” following Hamas’ October 2023 massacre, refused to condemn the slaughter of Israeli civilians, and praised eliminated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Despite this, Ms. Rachel has been showered with glowing media coverage, with headlines framing her stance as brave and selfless: “Ms. Rachel says she’ll risk career to advocate for children in Gaza” and “Ms. Rachel says she won’t work with anyone who hasn’t spoken out about Gaza.”
In reality, a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel stance is hardly career suicide in the entertainment industry – it’s the prevailing view.
Advocacy or Misplaced, Selective Outrage?
Amid the praise, there has been pushback from those who have noted her repeated sharing of misinformation and her decision to platform a figure who defends the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
She has brushed off such criticism, telling anti-Israel journalist Mehdi Hasan on his news site Zeteo that it’s “sad” that people “make it controversial when you speak out for children that are facing immeasurable suffering.” Asked why she speaks up for Gaza’s children, she replied: “Silence wasn’t a choice for me.”
In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Griffin-Accurso admitted she is “not an expert” on Israel or Gaza, but said her background as an “expert in child development” made her “know that what I was seeing was wrong.”
Only after taking such a strong public stance on Gaza did she begin highlighting children in other conflict zones. In May 2024, she launched a fundraiser through Save the Children for Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine, and other war-affected areas, offering personalized video messages in exchange for donations. Even so, the overwhelming majority of her posts about global crises remain focused on Gaza.
She has posted occasionally about Sudan’s famine, the world’s most extreme hunger crisis, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced 13 million. She’s also referenced Haiti’s spiraling violence, which has left half the country facing food insecurity.
Yet both crises—Sudan’s civil war (since April 2023) and Haiti’s collapse (since 2020)—predate the Gaza war. And until Hamas’ October 7 massacre and Israel’s subsequent campaign to dismantle the terror group and release the hostages held by the terrorist group, Ms. Rachel had not spoken about them at all. They seem, frankly, an afterthought.
Where Does Ms. Rachel’s “Pro-Palestinian” Advocacy Lead?
It is troubling enough that one of the most influential figures in early childhood education feels compelled to take a public stand on a complex geopolitical conflict she concedes she does not understand in depth.
It is more troubling that she has repeatedly spread falsehoods about it and lent her platform to a man who defended a massacre of civilians—including babies, children, and entire families—in their homes.
When someone with Ms. Rachel’s reach presents herself as a trusted educator while misinforming millions of parents about one of the most volatile conflicts in the world, the damage is not confined to the headlines. It shapes how the next generation will understand history, morality, and truth itself.
That is why it matters. Not because a children’s entertainer has political opinions – but because those opinions are wrapped in a brand that parents trust implicitly, and delivered to an audience too young to know the difference between fact and fiction.
If Ms. Rachel wants to be an advocate for children everywhere, she should start by committing to accuracy and condemning all atrocities, no matter the perpetrator.
The bottom line: Misinformation about Israel spreads fastest when it comes from unexpected sources – especially from figures trusted with children’s education, because their words carry an assumption of authority and moral responsibility. That’s why exposing it matters.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
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Toronto Film Festival Denies Blocking Oct. 7 Doc Over Censorship, Says Legal Team, Filmmaker Working to Screen It
Skyline of Toronto, Canada. Photo Credit: Aaron Davis, Wikimedia Commons, June 2020.
The CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) said late Wednesday that efforts are being made to ensure the screening of a documentary about the Hamas-led deadly massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, after receiving backlash for removing the film from the festival’s lineup.
TIFF CEO Bailey Cameron also denied claims about censoring “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue.”
“I want to be clear: Claims that the film was rejected due to censorship are unequivocally false,” Bailey said in a released statement. “I remain committed to working with the filmmaker to meet TIFF’s screening requirements to allow the film to be screened at this year’s festival. I have asked our legal team to work with the filmmaker on considering all options available.”
The festival will run from Sept. 4-14, and the film is currently not listed on the festival’s official website.
The documentary from Canadian director Barry Avrich follows grandfather and retired IDF Maj. Gen. Noam Tibon as he rescues his family, including two granddaughters, from Hamas terrorists who invaded their home in Nahal Oz during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack across southern Israel. Tibon also rescued survivors of the Nova Music Festival and helped wounded Israeli soldiers. His heroic efforts were highlighted by “60 Minutes” in October 2023. During the attack, Hamas murdered 1,200 civilians and took 251 others as hostages back to the Gaza Strip. Fifty hostages are still held captive by Hamas in Gaza.
Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz, the co-creators and writers of the Israeli television series “Fauda,” revealed last year that they are scripting a film about Tibon’s heroism. Tibon has also written opinion pieces for The Algemeiner in previous years and his son published a book about Tibon’s rescue mission on Oct. 7.
Deadline revealed on Tuesday that “The Road Between Us” was removed from the lineup of films being screened at TIFF, because filmmakers did not have “legal clearance” to use footage terrorists themselves filmed while murdering thousands during their deadly rampage. Festival organizers told Deadline in a statement that the film was “withdrawn by TIFF because general requirements for inclusion in the festival, and conditions that were requested when the film was initially invited, were not met, including legal clearance of all footage. The purpose of the requested conditions was to protect TIFF from legal implications and to allow TIFF to manage and mitigate anticipated and known risks around the screening of a film about highly sensitive subject matter, including potential threat of significant disruption.”
Tibon called the decision “absurd and bizarre,” and accused TIFF of “succumbing to pressure and threats” to conceal the truth about what happened during the Oct. 7 attack. “The atrocities committed by Hamas cannot be erased or denied,” he added. The team behind “The Road Between Us” also slammed the reasoning, telling Variety in part: “We are shocked and saddened that a venerable film festival has defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film.”
The move was also condemned by several Jewish groups – including StandWithUs Canada, the Canadian Centre for Jewish and Israeli Affairs, Combat Antisemitism Movement, and Friends of Simon Wiesenthal — and the pro-Israel entertainment industry organization Creative Community for Peace. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also criticized the move in a post on X, saying there “was no ‘legal clearance’ from Hamas for their GoPro massacre videos.”
“This festival would have asked Hitler or Goebbels for copyright on Auschwitz footage,” said Sa’ar. “This vicious and sickening decision must be cancelled immediately!”
In a statement late Wednesday, Bailey rejected the censorship claims, saying that the misunderstanding “calls for compassion and sensitivity, and I recognize the concerns it has raised among members of the Jewish community and beyond.” He then apologized for “any pain this situation may have caused.”
“It was never my intention to offend or alienate anyone,” he said. “At TIFF, we believe in the transformative power of film to foster understanding and dialogue, especially during challenging times.”
“My intention was to screen ‘The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,’ which is why I extended the invitation for the film to participate in this year’s festival,” he added. “Given the sensitive and significant nature of the film’s subject, I believe that it tells an important story and contributes to the rich tapestry of perspectives in our lineup – stories that resonate both here at home and around the world … While we are not a political organization, TIFF will always strive to present our programming in a safe, inclusive environment.”
Bailey concluded by asking for “patience and understanding as we navigate this complex landscape.”
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UEFA Accused of Promoting Antisemitic Blood Libel With ‘Stop Killing Children’ Banner at Super Cup Match
A banner displayed by the UEFA at a match on Aug. 13, 2025 at the UEFA Super Cup in Udine, Italy. Photo: X/UEFA
The British charity Campaign Against Antisemitism accused the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) of double standards and promoting a centuries-old, antisemitic blood libel following the union’s decision to display a banner that said “Stop Killing Children – Stop Killing Civilians” before a match on Wednesday night.
UEFA unfurled the banner before the start of the UEFA Super Cup final in Udine, Italy, between Paris Saint-Germain and London’s Tottenham Hotspur, the latter of which has a large Jewish fanbase. The banner was featured on the field before kick-off as the players lined up inside the Stadio Friuli.
UEFA said on Wednesday that its Foundation for Children invited two refugee children from the Gaza Strip, who have been impacted by the Israel-Hamas war, to take part in the medals ceremony at the match, and nine children who are refugees in Italy participated in the opening ceremony by holding the banner. The nine children are from different conflict zones around the world including Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, “Palestine,” and Ukraine, according to the UEFA.
Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) criticized the offensive banner in a post on X, claiming that the union’s “selective outrage” about the Israel-Hamas war “tells us everything about the double standard that still poisons European discourse on Jews.”
The UEFA “has said nothing about the Jewish hostages kept in barbaric captivity for almost two years, nor about the incessant attacks on Israeli civilians throughout this war from terrorists in Gaza and throughout the Middle East,” CAA noted. “But all of sudden, they have chosen a Spurs match — a club commonly associated with the Jewish community — to unfurl this banner.”
“For centuries, Europe has traded in the blood libel that Jews kill children, and clearly the trope remains as popular as ever. UEFA says that ‘the message is clear.’ After two years with no acknowledgement of the Jewish children murdered, maimed and traumatized by this war, the message is clear indeed,” CAA added.
Last night, before the UEFA Super Cup match between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur in Udine, Italy, UEFA unfurled a banner which read: “Stop killing children. Stop killing civilians.”https://t.co/T70ZHaZoeB@UEFA has said nothing about the Jewish hostages kept in…
— Campaign Against Antisemitism (@antisemitism) August 14, 2025
Speaking to The Times, a UEFA insider claimed the banner was “not political but about humanity — in fact you could say it is just common sense.”
In the past, soccer clubs have been penalized by the UEFA for displaying political banners. In 2016, Scotland’s Celtic soccer team was fined after its fans waved Palestinian flags during a match against Israel’s Hapoel Beer Sheva. UEFA viewed the flags as “illicit” banners. Celtic was also fined in 2013 after an “illicit” banner was displayed by fans during a Champions League match against AC Milan. However, Celtic was ultimately not fined when fans displayed an oversized anti-Israel banner at a match earlier this year.
Most recently, UEFA fined the Serbian team Partizan Belgrade after fans displayed a “Kosovo is Serbia” banner at a match, the Associated Press reported.
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Israeli Spy Chief Visits Qatar to Revive Gaza Talks
David Barnea, the head of the Israeli Mossad, attends an honor guard ceremony for Israel’s incoming military chief Herzi Halevi at Israel’s Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 16, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
The head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency visited Qatar on Thursday to revive Gaza ceasefire talks, according to multiple reports.
Two Israeli officials told Reuters about the meeting, which was the most high-level talks between Israel and mediators since negotiations broke down last month.
David Barnea met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani to discuss the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, according to Axios, which reported that the head of Israel’s national intelligence agency stressed in his meetings that the Israeli cabinet’s decision to take military control of Gaza City is not a bluff. Israel is prepared to proceed with the plan if there is no progress in negotiations to reach a ceasefire and hostage-release deal, a source familiar with the meeting told the outlet.
The Israeli publication Ynet also said in a report that a private jet linked to the Mossad landed in Doha on Thursday, fueling speculation that Barnea arrived in the Qatari capital for the first time since negotiations faltered three weeks ago.
Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan last week to take control of Gaza City, which followed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying hours earlier that Israel intended to take military control of the entire enclave temporarily until it can hand governance over to Arab authorities.
“We intend to control all of Gaza. We don’t want to keep it. We want a security perimeter. We ‘want to govern [Gaza]. We don’t want to be there as a governing body. We want to hand Gaza over to Arab forces that will govern [the territory] properly,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News.
“We want to liberate ourselves and liberate the people of Gaza from the awful terror of Hamas,” the Israeli premier added. “In order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza and to pass it to civilian governance … The only way that you’re [going to] have a different future is to get rid of this neo-Nazi army. Hamas are monsters.”
Israel’s new military plan lists five objectives: disarming Hamas, returning all hostages kidnapped by the terrorist group, demilitarizing Gaza, taking security control of the territory, and establishing “an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.”
“The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones,” Israel’s military said in a statement last week.
Many observers have argued that, while Israel appears intent on proceeding with its military plan, the announcement can also serve as a way to pressure the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades, to agree to a satisfactory truce.
Israel and the United States both recalled their negotiators from Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar in late July, with US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff saying that Hamas has not been acting in good faith and “clearly shows a lack of desire” to reach a deal despite weeks of mediated discussions with the terrorist group.
Since then, there has been a renewed push for a comprehensive deal to end the war, release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, and avert an Israeli offensive. The US, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey are all reportedly involved in efforts to revive and ultimately draft a comprehensive deal.
Barnea’s visit on Thursday coincides with ongoing talks in Cairo between Hamas leaders and Egyptian officials. A Hamas delegation had visited Istanbul over the weekend and met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan for talks on Gaza.