Ms Rachel scrutinized over ties to Palestinian journalist amid Oct 7 uproar

Key Points:

• A resurfaced 2025 video shows children's YouTube star Ms. Rachel (Rachel Griffin Accurso) calling Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza her "friend," stirring controversy after Azaiza admitted to withholding footage of Israeli hostages being beaten in Gaza during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
• Azaiza withheld the footage to protect Palestinians involved from Israeli retaliation, fearing the videos could be used to identify and harm them, despite documenting the assault by a crowd on Israeli captives.
• Azaiza, recognized by Time as one of the world's 100 most influential people in 2024 for his Gaza photography, criticized Hamas and highlighted the challenges journalists face in Gaza, while expressing support for armed Palestinian resistance that yields tangible results.
• Critics, including Rabbi Yaakov Menken and California GOP's Elizabeth Barcohana, questioned Azaiza's journalistic ethics and accused Ms. Rachel of spreading misleading information and sanitizing terrorism to her young audience.
• Ms. Rachel has recently become vocal about Gaza, accusing silent public figures of racial double standards regarding Palestinian children, but has not responded to requests for comment on the renewed scrutiny.